The build–up to IBC has influenced Eutelsat [and SES] to announce new business — the satellite provider has signed an partnership agreement with Japan’s SoftBank Corp.

Eutelsat’s deal with SoftBank will offer low latency, secure connectivity for businesses and government agencies throughout Japan, and sees Eutelsat enter the Japanese market for the first time.

The agreement will tap into Eutelsat’s OneWeb fleet of LEO satellites. The multi–year partnership will enable SoftBank to deliver a robust bandwidth – and communication speed – guaranteed service to customers including corporations and government entities, notably providing momentum for SoftBank’s satellite communication services. It will directly interconnect with SoftBank’s closed network service, SmartVPN, for additional security communications. The scope will initially target the Japanese market, with potential to expand to Japanese customers in other territories.

The agreement follows the granting to SoftBank by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of a blanket licence for specific radio stations, including VSAT Earth stations and mobile Earth stations, while the same ministry granted Eutelsat OneWeb a gateway station license.

Cyril Dujardin, Co-President of Eutelsat’s Connectivity Business Unit, said, “Our partnership with SoftBank is a significant milestone in our mission to deliver innovative connectivity solutions globally. We are delighted to rely on SoftBank as our partner to enter the Japanese market, and we look forward to cementing and expanding our collaboration in the years to come.”

Masakatsu Kawahara, SoftBank Corp. Vice President, Head of Communication Service Division, said, ”We are excited to partner with Eutelsat. By using the OneWeb low Earth orbit constellation it becomes possible to use high-quality, highly secure satellite communications services in places such as maritime and mountainous areas where connectivity is difficult to provide with terrestrial mobile networks. This will enable us to promote digital transformation in various industries and for local governments, heralding a new era in secure, ubiquitous connectivity services.”

Ovzon has received a second order from the United States Department of Defense for the company’s most recent, mobile, satellite terminal, the Ovzon T7. The order value amounts to $0.4 million.

In February of this year, the United States Department of Defense (U.S. DoD) became the first customer to place an order for Ovzon T7, the industry’s smallest, lightest, and fastest mobile satellite terminal. The Ovzon T7 is the first mobile satellite terminal optimized for the new Ovzon 3 satellite and its unique On-Board-Processor, fully leveraging its advanced resiliency features tailored for critical missions in contested environments. The Ovzon 3 satellite entered commercial service on July 5, 2024.

“We are delighted to see this additional order for Ovzon T7 from such an important and valued customer. We consider this a significant vote of confidence that the powerful combination of the Ovzon T7 terminal and the Ovzon 3 satellite is exceeding expectations for performance, mobility and resiliency,” said Ovzon’s CEO, Per Norén.

Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA), owner and operator of the Arnhem Space Centre (ASC) in Australia, has announced Nina Patz as the company’s new Head of Business Development.

Nina’s appointment adds to the company’s senior commercial team as it approaches its next scheduled launches commencing in mid-2025 with South Korean rocket company, Innospace.

The role will be pivotal in developing customized launch contracts including launch, engine testing, payload and mission management, mission planning, and launch support services for international NewSpace commercial rocket companies looking to launch from the ASC. Patz will proactively identify and lead the conversion of commercial opportunities globally.

With a strong background in Business Development, Nina most recently worked with Australian aerospace company, Hypersonix Launch Systems. She was integral to the team that secured a U.S. Department of Defense government contract through the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) in March 2023 against 62 global applicants.

The ASC’s geographical and remote location provides an extremely attractive option for global launch vehicle companies requiring access to space. The site provides launch companies with a full-service spaceport solution and the ability to reach all orbits. The site features cutting-edge testing and launch facilities, access to fuel and gasses, TSA and ITAR compliant facilities including launch and mission control, onsite accommodation, and proximity to the nearby mining town of Nhulunbuy which offers the facilities and amenities of a large regional town.

The growing groundswell of international interest in the Australian Space sector as well as the recent advances, including the ratification of the Technology Safeguards Agreement with the United States, are collectively channelling rocket companies towards Australia who are looking at launching from the ASC

ELA Group CEO, Michael Jones, said, “As ELA continues its schedule of discussions with international rocket companies, we are delighted to announce the appointment of Nina to help drive that process and to ensure we fill out our launch schedule through to the end of the decade. Nina’s role will be to work closely with our growing customer base to close out contracts we’ve been negotiating for some time and then help us deliver launch and spaceport services tailored to our customers’ mission requirements and provide them with the benefits of launching from a state-of-the-art, full-service spaceport. We have worked with Nina in her previous role and always admired her style, industry knowledge and professionalism, we are very lucky to have her join us.”

“With ELA’s proven track record and exciting future ahead, I am thrilled to join the team as it enters its next phase,” Nina said. “I am grateful to be given this opportunity to work with a fantastic organisation such as ELA. I look forward to building ELA’s customer base as we build the spaceport of the future in northern Australia.“

Winner of ‘Launch Business of the Year’ in the 2024 Australian Space Awards and finalist in five Australian Space Awards categories, as well as finalist in the Innovation Aus 2024 Excellence Awards (Defence, Dual-Use and Space), ELA is on track to be the pre-eminent multi-user commercial space launch company providing testing, launch, and recovery of space vehicles and payloads flown to and from all space orbits. The ASC is located in East Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia, and is situated at 12 degrees south of the equator, providing rocket companies and their payload customers operational freedom and simplicity for their launch and mission design. The spaceport is being redeveloped into a multi-user commercial spaceport as well as having the potential to be used as a key infrastructure project for Australia’s sovereign space defence capability.

‍Neuron, the first AI-powered QoE management platform for things that move, has launched Network Capacity Controller, the first solution for dynamically orchestrating satellite capacity between the ships, aircraft or remote sites in a fleet.

Network Capacity Controller uses AI and machine learning to make the best use of fleet-wide capacity when and where it’s needed most, optimizing resources, performance, and quality of experience (QoE).

Satellite capacity, when allocated to a ship, aircraft or remote site, is generally fixed. In a fleet, if one endpoint requires more bandwidth due to high data demands, while another has excess capacity, resources cannot be easily reallocated to balance the load. Complex modeling and forecasting aim to avoid underutilization and congestion, but optimal usage is difficult to predict with changes in geography, weather, number of passengers, application requirements, demand variables over time and more. As a result, performance and cost inefficiencies are inevitable.

Network Capacity Controller intelligently reallocates capacity in near real time – no need for manual policies or interventions. For example, if Ship A’s internet is impacted by weather, Network Capacity Controller will automatically shift capacity from Ship B to Ship A – and it will prioritize bandwidth that performs better in rain, like C-Band, while Ship B makes use of the other bandwidth options that are available. In another example, Ship B is planning to host a highly produced, live-streamed event at sea. Ship A will be docked at the time of the event, so instead of letting that capacity sit idle, Network Capacity Controller will redistribute it to Ship B for the event.

Network Capacity Controller is underpinned by Neuron Grid, an AI-powered network management solution that delivers seamlessly blended connectivity across multiple providers, orbits and networks. Grid’s intelligent decision engine makes decisions every 50 milliseconds to orchestrate traffic on a ship, plane or remote site over the right connectivity service at the right time, making the best use of all available onboard bandwidth at the highest QoE. 

Grid constantly analyzes traffic patterns and trends to gauge current and future demands on the network. When the system detects an imbalance between endpoints, Network Capacity Controller will proactively direct certain vessels to stop using an allocated pool of capacity, allowing the vessel(s) with the highest need to benefit from the additional throughput. 

Network Capacity Controller can also manage specific consumption pools, whether LEO, MEO or GEO. Starlink, for example, has changed the traditional provider business model by allowing its customers to purchase a set amount of service to use anywhere they want. However, customers aren’t equipped to manage consumption in that way. Network Capacity Controller can do it for them, dynamically managing each pool to maximize QoE and manage costs.

“Efficiently managing connectivity resources across hundreds of moving ships and planes or remote assets is challenging,” said Benny Retnamony, founder and CEO, Neuron. “Network Capacity Controller eliminates the need to make capacity decisions based on individual endpoints. Neuron can measure and determine how much capacity a fleet needs, and Network Capacity Controller will dynamically manage it to meet demand precisely when and where it matters.”

“At Neuron, we take care of the complex engineering so that our customers don’t have to,” said Prateek Dahale, director of engineering, Neuron. “Network Capacity Controller works behind the scenes, analyzing thousands of data points every second to make decisions about how to best orchestrate a fleet’s pool of capacity and optimize the network accordingly. Its algorithm continually learns and adapts, ensuring smarter decisions and better results over time.

About Neuron
Neuron is the first AI-powered QoE management platform for things that move. It seamlessly blends any combination of connectivity, regardless of provider, orbit or network, into one, vendor-neutral environment; continuously measures and analyzes real-time connectivity performance and its impact on quality of experience (QoE); and dynamically orchestrates the network to deliver the best possible QoE – even in the most remote places. 

Project Kuiper, Amazon’s LEO satellite broadband network, is expanding its footprint at Kennedy Space Center in Florida as the company prepares for a full-scale deployment of its satellite constellation.

Last year, Project Kuiper broke ground on a $120 million satellite processing facility, and now the team is investing another $19.5 million to expand its presence by adding a secondary support facility at the site—bringing its total investment in the site to nearly $140 million.

This 42,000-square-foot building will provide additional space to process and store flight hardware ahead of launch, allowing for a regular cadence of missions to deploy Project Kuiper’s 3,232-satellite constellation. The expansion will be adjacent to the existing 100,000-square-foot structure at the satellite processing facility. It is another example of Amazon’s partnership with Space Florida and growing commitment to the state’s space economy.

“Expanding investments in Project Kuiper’s infrastructure at Space Florida’s Launch and Landing Facility not only reinforces our commitment to delivering reliable broadband connectivity to unserved and underserved communities worldwide, but also strengthens Florida’s position as a hub for space innovation and job creation,” said Brian Huseman, Amazon’s vice president for public policy and community engagement. “We extend our sincere appreciation to Governor Ron DeSantis, Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez, and Space Florida CEO Rob Long for their leadership, and look forward to helping pave the way for a more connected future.”

The new support facility will feature temperature-controlled storage areas, maintenance bays, multipurpose workspaces, and air load rigging capabilities for easily moving heavy equipment, ensuring the efficient and secure handling of Project Kuiper’s satellite hardware. Construction is forecast to be complete in 2025, and the facility will create additional full-time job opportunities in the region.

“We are excited to expand our operations at the Kennedy Space Center with this new facility,” said Steve Metayer, vice president of Project Kuiper production operations. “This investment underscores our commitment to Project Kuiper as we work towards providing high-speed, low-latency broadband internet to communities around the world. We’re proud of our continued partnership with Space Florida, and look forward to adding more talent to our team at Cape Canaveral.”

Florida State Representative Thad Altman, Project Kuiper Head of Launch Systems Melissa Wuerl, Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro, Amazon VP for Public Policy and Community Engagement Brian Huseman, Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, and Space Florida CEO Rob Long on a site visit of Project Kuiper’s satellite processing facility at Space Florida’s Launch and Landing Facility at
Kennedy Space Center.

Project Kuiper’s expanding satellite processing facility will help facilitate seamless operations by streamlining the process of receiving satellite shipments, connecting satellites to custom dispensers, and integrating the loaded dispensers with rockets from Blue Origin, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance (ULA) ahead of launch.

Amazon is also investing in infrastructure and service upgrades at Cape Canaveral as part of its launch agreement with ULA, with improvements underway on a second ULA vertical integration facility (VIF) dedicated to Project Kuiper launches. The facility, which ULA named “VIF-A” for “Amazon,” will allow ULA to support a higher cadence of commercial and government missions using its new Vulcan Centaur rocket when the VIF is complete in early 2025. ULA will be able to prepare for two missions in parallel using its two launch lanes.

“I am thrilled that Amazon has chosen to deepen its investment in Project Kuiper at Space Florida’s Launch and Landing Facility,” said Lt. Gov. Nuñez. “This decision is a clear indicator of Florida’s unbeatable location and world-class infrastructure. Through this partnership, we will continue to assert our leadership in the global space economy.”

The Space Development Agency (SDA) has awarded two prototype agreements with a total value of approximately $424 million to build and operate 20 Tranche 2 Transport Layer (T2TL) — Gamma variant prototype space vehicles that will continue to expand the demonstration of advanced tactical satellite communication (TACSATCOM) capabilities through the Tranche 2 timeframe and beyond.

SDA awarded these firm-fixed price other transaction authority (OTA) agreements to York Space Systems, Denver, and Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Inc., Irvine, California (a Terran Orbital Corporation), to each build and operate 10 T2TL – Gamma prototype satellites with delivery for launch scheduled to begin by Q4 of fiscal year 2027.

SDA received and evaluated eight proposals under an Other Transaction Authorities solicitation, SDA-PS-24-02. The York prototype agreement (FA24012490067) has a total value of approximately $170 million. The Tyvak prototype agreement (FA24012490066) has a total value of approximately $254 million. SDA is the agreement holder for both awards. This marks the first time Tyvak (a Terran Orbital Corporation) will perform as a prime vendor for SDA.

The T2TL features multiple space vehicle and mission configuration variants, along with related operational demonstrations, procured through a multi-solicitation and multi-vendor acquisition approach. The PWSA Transport Layer will provide multi-band global communications access and persistent encrypted connectivity for warfighter missions. The Transport Layer will be the space backbone for the Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) infrastructure with low-latency data transport, sensor-to-shooter connectivity, and TACSATCOM direct to platform.

“With these T2TL – Gamma awards, we are closing out the hardware procurement phase for Tranche 2 of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture to support delivery beginning in 2026 to achieve our full warfighting capability,” said Derek Tournear, SDA director. “The T2TL – Gamma space vehicles will demonstrate global communications access and operationalize persistent global encrypted connectivity to support missions like beyond line of sight targeting.”

About the Space Development Agency.
As part of the U.S. Space Force, SDA is recognized as DoD’s constructive disruptor for space acquisition. SDA will accelerate delivery of needed space-based capabilities to the joint warfighter to support terrestrial missions through development, fielding, and operation of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture.

Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPIR), a global provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, successfully launched seven satellites on the SpaceX Transporter-11 mission, which launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on August 16, 2024 — this marks Spire’s third launch of 2024 and the 41st in the company’s history, bringing the total of Spire satellites launched to 196 in number.

These newly launched LEMUR satellites, ranging from 3U- to 16U-sized satellite buses, are designed for a wide range of applications that include data to improve weather forecasting, global soil moisture analysis and maritime ship tracking. The satellites will also serve missions for Space Services customers.

Spire is enhancing its soil moisture monitoring capabilities by combining radio occultation and reflectometry technologies on a single platform. This dual capability allows Spire to measure the Earth’s state from the atmosphere to the ground, improving weather forecasts for leading meteorological agencies that acquire the Company’s data. Recently, Spire expanded its Weather and Climate product suite with advanced Soil Moisture Insights, which uses proprietary reflectometry measurements, open-source data, and AI to provide a comprehensive view of global soil moisture. These insights are crucial for agricultural planning, water resource management, and climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts.

About Spire Global, Inc.
Spire (NYSE: SPIR) is a global provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, offering unique datasets and powerful insights about Earth so that organizations can make decisions with confidence in a rapidly changing world. Spire builds, owns, and operates a fully deployed satellite constellation that observes the Earth in real time using radio frequency technology. The data acquired by Spire’s satellites provides global weather intelligence, ship and plane movements, and spoofing and jamming detection to better predict how their patterns impact economies, global security, business operations and the environment. Spire also offers Space as a Service solutions that empower customers to leverage its established infrastructure to put their business in space. Spire has nine offices across the U.S., Canada, UK, Luxembourg, Germany and Singapore.

On Friday SpaceX plans to launch to Low Earth Orbit Starlink Group 9-5, a batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation from Vandenberg SFB’s Space Launch Complex 4E, California at 1:00 AM – 5:23 AM PDT, weather permitting.

Weather reports indicate 68°, Precipitation: 20%, Humidity: 79%, Wind: 13 mph

SpaceX still a Go! for Friday’s launch of Starlink Group 9-5 smallsats

On Friday SpaceX plans to launch to Low Earth Orbit Starlink Group 9-5, a batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation from Vandenberg SFB’s Space Launch Complex 4E, California at 1:00 AM – 5:23 AM PDT.

The forecast calls for a temperature of 57°F, few clouds, 19% cloud cover and a wind speed of 5mph.

The expense of the mission is $52 million.

Space Launch Complex 4E has witnessed the launch of 155 rockets, including 155 orbital launch attempts, while Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA, has been the site for 767 rocket launches.

The second ASDS barge, Of Course I Still Love You (OCISLY), services launches in the Pacific Ocean and will be the site of the booster recovery of the Falcon 9 booster.