Archives for September 2025

For more than a decade, mission control teams at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) have successfully commissioned and operated most of the Sentinel fleet of satellites.

In preparation of the coming launch of Sentinel-1D, mission controllers have started the simulations of the critical ‘launch and early orbit phase’. The launch of Copernicus Sentinel-1D will provide a much-needed replacement to Sentinel-1A, which has been in orbit for almost 11 years now, well beyond its planned lifetime. The Sentinel-1D satellite will join its sibling, Sentinel-1C, which was launched last December.

On top of ensuring continuity of data for Copernicus services and applications, the satellite, the fourth of its series, will extend the mission’s Earth Observations (EO) capabilities and provide a long-term outlook for the next decadeSentinel-1D will be lifted into orbit by an Ariane 6 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, later this year (2025). This marks the first time an ESOC-operated satellite will be launched on Ariane 6, a milestone for ESA’s operations team.

On September 17, the control team located at ESA’s operation center in Darmstadt, Germany, began preparing for the launch and the crucial early-orbit phase. Thanks to their recent experience with Sentinel-1C, the team is expected to complete the simulation campaign more quickly than usual.

The team has been augmented by over a hundred experts from flight dynamics, ground stations, software systems, and other specialist areas, along with industry partners who built the satellite and ESA engineers who designed and procured it.

The simulations have been downsized from the usual fifteen or more sessions to eight only, during which mission plans and procedures for both the satellite and ground segment will be rehearsed, reviewed, and refined.

Using sophisticated software to replicate satellite and ground systems, the team will train for a range of scenarios – from minor glitches to major anomalies – ensuring they can respond quickly and effectively under pressure.

One of the scenarios the team has been preparing for is a potential delay in the Sentinel-1D launch that could cause it to overlap with the launch campaign of Sentinel-6B, currently scheduled also this year. To mitigate this, contingency plans have been developed to ensure both missions can proceed smoothly, even if timelines converge.

This Copernicus Sentinel series of satellites is no stranger to ESA mission controllers. Just over ten years ago, in early 2014 , the same control room hosted the simulation campaign for Sentinel-1A before the launch of the satellite in April. Since then, ESOC has successfully commissioned and operated ten satellites under the Copernicus Earth Observation program.

In the final days of the simulation campaign, teams at ESOC will work with the joint ESA, Arianespace and industry launch team in Kourou to complete the comprehensive final simulation of the countdown and launch sequence. This will include receiving live signals from the satellite via an umbilical connection, which will be disconnected shortly before liftoff.

Once the last step is completed, the mission control team will be ready to launch the satellite. Good luck Sentinel-1D!

We’re essentially working with the same satellite and the same team as last year,” said Ian Shurmer, Flight Operations Director for Sentinel-1D. “This allows us to streamline several phases of the training and focus on the unique aspects of this launch.”

Sentinel-1D marks the last launch of the first Sentinel mission, although it’s only the end of the beginning”, said Thomas Ormston, Deputy Spacecraft Operations Manager for Sentinel-1D. “With such varied spacecraft, and more to come, we have learned so much from flying the Sentinel missions and look forward to many more to come. At ESOC we are experienced in adapting to different launch vehicles, so the first Ariane 6 launch is no different, although we’re all excited to finally get to ‘fly’ on Europe’s new launcher.”

Flying Sentinel-1D on Ariane 6 in less than a year after launching Sentinel-1C on the Vega-C’s return to flight is a tremendous honour for our team. Sentinel-1D represents not only continuity for Copernicus but also a bold step forward in European launch capability”, said Ana Garcia, Sentinel-1D Launch Campaign Manager.

Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM) recently entered into a new partnership with Deutsche Telekom (DTAG) that will deliver global connectivity to their customers through the Iridium NTN Direct^SM service.

Deutsche Telekom will gain roaming access to Iridium’s forthcoming 3GPP standards-based 5G service, providing NB-IoT Direct-to-Device (D2D) connectivity that will keep customers, and their assets, connected from pole to pole. The two companies will be collaborating to integrate Iridium NTN Direct with Deutsche Telekom’s terrestrial global IoT network.

Deutsche Telekom is among the first mobile network operators to begin integrating Iridium NTN Direct with terrestrial infrastructure, positioning it at the forefront of standards-based IoT innovation in areas beyond the reach of traditional mobile networks and competing satellite networks.

Planned for commercial launch in 2026, the service will allow Deutsche Telekom’s IoT customers to roam onto the Iridium network to support use cases such as messaging, tracking, and status updates for IoT, automotive, and industrial devices, with applications spanning international cargo logistics, remote utility monitoring, smart agriculture, and emergency response.

The Iridium constellation is the only network delivering truly global coverage using L-band spectrum, providing reliable connectivity through both routine and extreme weather events, like hurricanes and blizzards. Its LEO orbit provides superior coverage, look angles and lower latency compared to geostationary systems.

Iridium NTN Direct is designed to complement terrestrial networks like Deutsche Telekom and provide seamless global coverage, extending the reach of their own infrastructure,” said Matt Desch, CEO, Iridium. “This partnership underscores the power of creating a straightforward, scalable solution that builds on existing technology to enable global service expansion.”

We look forward to integrating Iridium as our next non-terrestrial roaming partner for IoT connectivity. By providing our customers with access to Iridium’s extensive LEO satellite network, they will benefit from broadened global NB-IoT coverage to reliably connect sensors, machines and vehicles,” said Jens Olejak, Head of Satellite IoT, Deutsche Telekom. “This convergence is now possible through affordable, 3GPP-standardized 5G devices that function across both terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks.”

Globalstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: GSAT) has plans to bring-into-use the company’s HIBLEO-XL-1 satellite system filing in preparation for its next era of mobile satellite connectivity.

Since 2000, Globalstar has been operating its current mobile satellite system (MSS) and providing service over the same Big Low Earth Orbit (LEO) frequency bands, investing billions of dollars to expand, innovate and commercialize mobile satellite services that are now at the fingertips of hundreds of millions of people around the world.

In November of 2024, Globalstar announced an additional investment of $1.5 billion in a third-generation mobile satellite system called C-3, which will include 48 additional satellites supported by approximately 90 new ground station antennas installed globally.

The company’s current system and C-3 satellites will operate over Globalstar’s same licensed Big LEO frequency bands, altitude and inclination. The C-3 System’s higher power downlink capabilities are expected to greatly improve the user experience for anyone accessing Globalstar to meet their communications needs.

With this announcement, Globalstar takes an important step toward further expansion of its global MSS capabilities with plans to bring its HIBLEO-XL-1 system into use. The HIBLEO-XL-1 system, filed through France, includes numerous additional satellites, orbital shells and frequency bands, including currently licensed L-, S- and C-band frequencies, as well as additional MSS bands for mobile uplink and downlink as well as additional feeder-link spectrum.

Dr. Paul Jacobs, Globalstar CEO, said, “We believe that bringing HIBLEO-XL-1 into use provides Globalstar with significant optionality as the Company grows as a major provider of connectivity in the global space economy that is expected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035. We look forward to providing operational updates on our progress as we enter a new era in Globalstar’s expanding investments in connecting everyone, everywhere. Globalstar’s mission is mission-critical communications, which has led us to the forefront of LEO satellite communications, providing reliable and affordable solutions across to consumers and industries where and when they need us.”

York Space Systems (York) has received first contact and has confirmed the healthy status of all 21 satellites launched on September 10 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in support of the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) Tranche 1 Transport Layer (T1TL) mission.

Deploying and confirming the health of 21 satellites within hours of launch is a historic milestone. The achievement demonstrates the scalability and reliability of York’s space vehicle production and operations model, supporting SDA’s goals of resilient, low-latency satellite communications are available to U.S. and allied warfighters.

York is the first of the prime contractors selected for the T1TL mission to launch and deploy. York will complete its T1TL contract launch and deployment campaign with an additional 21 satellites later this year. York is proud to continue to support SDA as it fields this critical capability for national security space.

York’s rapid first-contact success was powered, in part, by ATLAS Space Operations’ (ATLAS) software-led ground architecture. Acquired by York earlier this year, ATLAS provides a fully U.S.-owned, globally distributed ground station network and mission planning software. This integrated capability enables York to connect with its spacecraft faster and more efficiently than ever before. By streamlining connectivity across an expanding ground network, York is delivering the infrastructure required to rapidly field resilient defense architectures like Golden Dome and ensure decision advantage for the warfighter.

Confirming health so quickly across 21 satellites is proof that York’s high-rate production paired with disciplined mission operations delivers results. This success further highlights York’s central role in enabling the DOD’s vision for a proliferated architecture that ensures resilience and decision advantage for the warfighter,” said Melanie Preisser, VP and GM of York.

Intellian Technologies Inc. and Eutelsat are developing an ultra-portable, fully integrated, military-grade Manpack for Eutelsat’s OneWeb LEO network.

Developed for Defense and Government, this military-grade unit provides the uninterrupted, dependable Eutelsat OneWeb LEO connectivity critical for mission success.

This terminal is a cornerstone of Intellian’s government sector growth strategy, tapping into the global military antenna market. It directly addresses the urgent need for next-generation LEO capabilities within the broader military satellite communications domain, as Defense sectors worldwide invest in secure, diverse, and resilient connectivity.

Designed for rapid deployment, the Manpack is small and light to fit a standard military rucksack. It features one-touch network acquisition for immediate operation even in the most demanding and high-pressure conflict regions and is optimized for low power consumption to maximize mission duration for up to five hours on external batteries depending on usage.

With auto detected Resilient Global Navigation Satellite System (R-GNSS), it enables external support of an Alternative Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (Alt-PNT) to ensure operation in GPS-denied environments.

Built to battlefield-ready specifications, the Manpack is designed for Ingress Protection (IP67), as well as the U.S. Military Standards for Environmental Engineering (MIL-STD-810H) and Electromagnetic Compatibility (MIL-STD-461). This ensures exceptional durability for Communications-On-The-Pause (COTP) to personnel on front lines and mission-critical operations.

Eric Sung, CEO at Intellian Technologies, said, “Our military-grade Manpack addresses the rapidly evolving demands of defense users for resilient OneWeb LEO connectivity. It’s a critical addition to our portfolio of OneWeb solutions across maritime, land fixed and land mobility, and will deliver essential global connectivity for military personnel, NGOs, and enterprise customers who require uncompromising durability and performance.”

Steve Mills, Eutelsat’s Vice President for Global Government, said, “We’re pleased to be expanding our user terminal portfolio with the addition of a manpack solution. Thanks to Intellian’s expertise and innovation, this development strengthens the ability of our OneWeb constellation to immediately provide reliable, portable and innovative connectivity options to government and defense users, and we look forward to bringing this solution to our partners together.”