The SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition recently concluded its 43rd annual event at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in downtown Washington DC from March 13-16. Drawing 14,768 attendees from 113 countries, the event reaffirmed its status as the premier gathering for the satellite and space industry. Moreover, it embraced the growing mainstream adoption of these technologies and welcomed diverse end-user communities.

AERKOMM Inc. (Euronext: AKOM, OTCQX: AKOM, "AERKOMM"), an innovative satellite technology company providing multi-orbit broadband connectivity solutions, and IX Acquisition Corp (Nasdaq: IXAQU, "IXAQ"), a SPAC focused on the technology, media and telecommunications industries, have entered into a definitive Business Combination Agreement ("BCA") and raised US $35 million in a private placement.

Satellite operator Telesat (NASDAQ and TSX: TSAT) today reported its financial results for the three-month and one-year periods ended December 31, 2023. For the year ended December 31, 2023, Telesat reported consolidated revenue of CDN$ 704 million, a decrease of 7% (CDN$ 55 million) compared to the same period in 2022.

All amounts are in Canadian dollars and reported under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) unless otherwise noted.

CABSAT, the Middle East’s flagship event for content, broadcast, satellite, media, and entertainment, will celebrate its 30th anniversary with its highly anticipated return to the Dubai World Trade Centre from May 21 till 23, 2024. Also returning is the second edition of co-located event Integrate Middle East, the leading forum and sourcing platform for the global Pro AV and media technology community that connects industry leaders with integrated solution buyers from the education, media, entertainment, hospitality, retail, and communication sectors. 

Airbus Defence and Space has entered into an agreement to acquire INFODAS, a Cologne-based, German company that provides cybersecurity and IT solutions in the public sector including for defence and critical infrastructures. The transaction is subject to the customary regulatory approvals and is expected to be finalised before the end of 2024.

Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) has acquired a 70 per cent majority stake in VAKE, a Norwegian startup that delivers maritime domain awareness by using satellite data combined with machine learning. KSAT has followed the development of VAKE since the company’s founding and sees great opportunities in joining forces with VAKE to solve the future challenges in maritime domain awareness, offshore asset protection and shipping activity tracking.

Comtech (NASDAQ: CMTL) (“the Company”) today announced its second quarter fiscal 2024 financial results.  Highlights of the results include:

• Consolidated net sales increased slightly year-over-year to US$ 134.2 million, compared to US$ 133.7 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2023. This represents a sequential decline from $151.9 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2024.

• Gross margin was 32.2%, compared to 31.5% in the first quarter of fiscal 2024 and 34.3% in the second quarter of fiscal 2023.

In recent years the satellite industry has undergone a profound change–and one that is still continuing.  High Throughput Satellites (HTS) have been joined by Very- and Ultra-High Throughput Satellites (VHTS and UHTS), and more recently by software defined satellites.  Thousands of Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) satellites are in operation.  At the same time, new applications are constantly emerging.  In-orbit Servicing (IoS) is a reality and Space Situational Awareness (SSA) is becoming a necessity, the Internet-of-Things (IoT) extends its reach on a daily basis.

J.F. Lehman & Company (JFLCO), a  middle-market private equity firm focused exclusively on the aerospace, defense, maritime, government and environmental sectors, is announced that an investment affiliate has acquired Mission Microwave Technologies, LLC.

Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM),  today announced that it had entered into an agreement to acquire Satelles, a provider of  highly secure satellite-based time and location services that complement and protect GPS and other GNSS-reliant systems.This acquisition continues Iridium’s philosophy of investing in differentiating technologies uniquely suited to its network that significantly outperform competing solutions according to the company.