In the course of my work as a consultant and executive recruiter based in Asia, I have spoken to over 150 satellite and digital broadcast sales, business development and senior management professionals in the last six months on the prospects of the Asian market. The consensus among key satellite executives is that the business of satellite communications in Asia continues to grow and is better off than other regional markets by "a significant margin."

NAB Show is now accepting nominations for the third annual Product of the Year awards. Companies scheduled to exhibit in either the 2020 or 2021 NAB Show are eligible. The awards recognize the most significant and promising new products and technologies developed by NAB Show exhibitors. Nominations are being accepted through September 17, 2021.

Xenesis, Inc., an innovator in the free space optical communications (FSO) technology sector acquired a minority stake in Space Micro Inc. Through this agreement, Space Micro will become the exclusive manufacturer for componentry used in the Xenesis product line (including Xen-Hubs and Xen-Nodes) and Space Micro will also include the Xenesis devices in its product catalog and website.

Spacecom, (Tel Aviv Stock Exchange: SCC), the satellite services provider and owner-operator of the AMOS satellite fleet, today announced that Hungary’s 4iG Plc., a Hungarian information technology and telecommunications company (Budapest Stock Market: 4iG Nyrt.), is negotiating to take a majority 51 percent stake in the Israel-based satellite services company.

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (NASDAQ: CMTL) today reported its operating results for the third fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2021 and updated its financial targets for fiscal 2021. The company reported consolidated net sales of US$ 139.4 million and Adjusted EBITDA of US$ 17.7 million (or 12.7% of consolidated net sales).

Fiscal 2021 Third Quarter Highlights (all figures in US$)

Astra announced today its planned acquisition of Apollo Fusion in a transaction valued up to US$ 145 million. Apollo Fusion manufactures a leading electric propulsion engine. This acquisition allows Astra to provide launch and space services beyond low Earth orbit (LEO), to medium Earth orbit, geosynchronous, and lunar orbits.

The 1960s ushered in an era of human space exploration that has never been equaled.  Humans traveled farther from our planet than ever before – not once but half a dozen times – and those journeys sparked the dreams and ambitions of millions.  And then we stopped.  We flew robots to other planets.  We put satellites and space stations into orbit.  But people never again answered the call to leave our planet far behind in a quest for knowledge and opportunity, to open new horizons for others to follow.  
Never – until now.  

Many years ago, when I was part of a team considering an investment in Teledesic, one of the engineers at Hughes, produced a computer model, of what would happen if one of the satellites ran into a piece of orbital debris.  The assumption was, that this would cause it to break-up, so the satellite behind would inevitably run into the fragments and similarly break-up and so on.  The space equivalent of a freeway pile-up, technically known as the Kessler Effect, after the NASA scientist who first modeled this happening.  

Depending on where you are in the world today, the light at the end of the tunnel is either welcome daylight or an oncoming train.  Since it first appeared in late 2019, COVID-19 has been an unequal opportunity curse, killing many, sickening more and leaving even more of us untouched but isolated and afraid.  Now that vaccines are pouring out of production facilities and into people’s arms, the inequality has actually grown, varying from nation to nation based on economic might, the capabilities of governments and national and regional culture.  

As I write this column on a sunny Saturday afternoon in late-May in the south of the UK I reflect that, just as I approach the 20th anniversay of my joining GVF, it’s still going to be some time until my GVF duties will require me to take a flight departing from London Gatwick, my nearest international airport, or London Heathrow, some one-hour away by motorway.  As the impact of the pandemic in many parts of the world not only continues but becomes yet more serious, some parts of the UK are affected by the Covid-19 strain offically designated B.1.617.2, and commonly known as the “Indian va