Speedcast has successfully completed its restructuring process and today emerged from chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings under the ownership of Centerbridge Partners, L.P. and its affiliates. Following Centerbridge’s USD $500 million equity investment in the company, Speedcast now has a clean balance sheet with no secured debt and a healthy cash balance, optimally positioning it as a stable, long-term partner for its employees, customers and vendors according to the company.

Space & Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) today announced that it will present the first ever Inspire Award to famed science fiction author Larry Niven at the 2021 Space & Satellite Hall of Fame Celebration on March 23. The Inspire Awards honor artists in visual, literary, and performing arts whose work has inspired the people of the space and satellite industry to create the innovations, raise the funds, and overcome the enormous obstacles to lay the foundations for the space economy of the future.

The SATELLITE Conference announces the two keynote speakers, Neil Masterson, CEO, OneWeb, and Dan Goldberg, CEO, Telesat, to speak at its upcoming LEO Digital Forum, the first major satellite event of the year taking place April 6-8 on a digital event platform.

There are many exciting developments in the Satellite communication on the move (COTM) market.  Among these developments,  the most promising might just be the launch of flat panel antennas (FPAs) which aretransforming the Land, Maritime and Aeronautical COTM markets.  FPAs may just supplant the traditional parabolic antennas, if the cost and economics would make it a feasible solution.

In considering the theme for this month’s column my prompt came from threads of discussion featuring in GVF’s continuing online events program (https://gvf.org/webinars/) which resumed in January, following our successful 2020 online content response to the limiting circumstances of a pandemic world.  Mid-February’s Zoom into the subject of ground segment attracted 400 registrations, 300 actual attendances from 60 countries, and over 30 live questions, in addition to the moderator-led Roundtable dialogue.  

Comtech Telecommunications Corp.  (NASDAQ: CMTL), a global leader in the advanced secure wireless communications market, announced today that it has closed the acquisition of UHP Networks Inc., a leading provider of innovative and disruptive satellite ground station technology solutions. Founded in 2011, UHP is based in Canada and has developed revolutionary technology that is transforming the growing Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) market.

How many presentations, emails, articles and Zoom webinars start with the phrase, “In these uncertain times…”? I did a quick search: 549,000. Occam’s Razor applies here. The simplest explanation is usually true. And in March 2021 the simple explanation is that we are in uncertain times because of COVID.  Now can we please move on? 

Isn’t it refreshing, in these uncertain times, that when you come across something close to certain that the flux seems not only manageable but inspiring? This explains the persistence of the entrepreneur and why we embrace them.

NAB Amplify™ launches today with a free Early Access Bundle offer for those who sign up prior to March 31. Designed by the creators of NAB Show, NAB Amplify serves as the new digital hub for media and entertainment professionals to connect year-round, explore product innovations, discover new perspectives and gain trusted insights on important industry developments.

Spire Global and NavSight Holdings, a special purpose acquisition company, today announced they have entered into a definitive merger agreement for a business combination that would result in Spire becoming a publicly listed company.

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. a provider of launch and space systems, and Vector Acquisition Corporation (Nasdaq: VACQ) a special purpose acquisition company backed by technology investor Vector Capital, announced today that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement that will result in Rocket Lab becoming a publicly traded company. The transaction is estimated to be completed in Q2 2021 and, at that time, Vector will change its name to Rocket Lab USA, Inc. and the combined company will trade under the Nasdaq ticker symbol RKLB.