PARIS — The French government has granted regulatory clearance for satellite telecommunications operator Globalstar to launch and operate its constellation of 54 next-generation direct-to-device satellites, SpaceNews reported on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026.

The regulatory decision authorizes Globalstar’s C-3 network, filed with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) under the network identifier AST-NG-C-3, to access and operate across global Mobile Satellite Services (MSS) spectrum allocations for a 20-year term.

Transatlantic Spectrum Governance and Amazon Acquisition

Globalstar’s satellite communications network operates under harmonized spectrum filings authorized by both French and United States regulatory agencies. The French licensing milestone arrives shortly after the FCC approved Amazon’s acquisition of Globalstar in an $11.5 billion transaction designed to integrate Globalstar’s licensed Big LEO spectrum directly into the Amazon Leo broadband constellation.

The decision by France’s Ministry for Digital and Ministry for Space complements earlier U.S. regulatory momentum, following the FCC authorization for its third-generation C-3 satellite constellation to deliver direct cellular services to consumer smartphones.

C-3 Spacecraft Bus Specifications and Constellation Orbital Parameters

Engineered specifically to support direct-to-device cellular connectivity and high-reliability emergency messaging, the C-3 space architecture matches the orbital geometry of Globalstar’s legacy constellation. Prime contractor MDA Space is manufacturing the 54 spacecraft, which comprise 48 active operational low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites and six dedicated on-orbit spares.

Each satellite will operate at an orbital altitude of 1,414 kilometers, incorporating active beamforming S-band payloads to communicate directly with standard hand-held mobile devices. Flight operations will be commanded through Globalstar’s dedicated Satellite Operations Control Center in Toulouse, France, alongside its primary control facility in Covington, Louisiana.

Launch Manifest and 2027 In-Orbit Deployment

Globalstar targets the inaugural orbital launches of the C-3 constellation starting next year in 2027. Under the French space decree, the operator is authorized to conduct space flight operations across the full 13-year design lifetime of the satellites, providing service continuity for consumer mobile networks and sovereign applications.

RIO DE JANEIRO — Commercial satellite operator Rivada Space Networks has entered into a strategic collaboration agreement with Telespazio Brasil to integrate its planned 600-satellite low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation into Latin American telecommunications and government networks, the companies announced on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026.

The partnership connects Rivada’s planned orbital network, branded as the Outernet, with Telespazio Brasil, a subsidiary of the European aerospace joint venture between Leonardo (67%) and Thales (33%).

Latin American Footprint and Constellation Financing Context

Headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Telespazio Brasil has operated across South America since 1997, supplying satellite communications, Earth observation, and ground segment infrastructure to enterprise and institutional clients across Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Peru. The regional footprint builds upon prior government deployments, including when Telespazio deployed LEO-based mobile satcom for Brazil’s presidential security office.

Rivada reports that it has accumulated more than $20 billion in commercial business commitments globally for the Outernet. However, physical manufacturing and assembly for the 600-spacecraft fleet have not yet commenced following historical financing requirements and industrial supply adjustments detailed in earlier analyses of Rivada Space Networks’ constellation schedule.

Outernet Routing Architecture and Orbital Mesh Specifications

The Outernet constellation is engineered as an interconnected orbital mesh that functions independently of terrestrial gateway relays for point-to-point data transit. The 600 satellites operate as orbital routers in low Earth orbit, exchanging multi-gigabit bidirectional data across optical inter-satellite links (OISLs). By routing communications traffic through space rather than traversing terrestrial internet backbones, the network delivers end-to-end data security, low latency, and data sovereignty for commercial enterprise and government customers.

Executive Leadership and Technical Advisory Roadmap

“With the Outernet‘s unique architecture, satellites become routers in the sky and space now provides secure, high-performance data transport instead of merely providing the last hop to the internet,” said Declan Ganley, Chief Executive Officer of Rivada Space Networks. “Our unique gateway-free architecture redefines connectivity in terms of security, latency, capacity, efficiency, and coverage.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Telespazio will join Rivada’s Customer Advisory Board and conduct technical workshops to structure network interoperability across South American jurisdictions ahead of orbital deployment.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Maritime infrastructure developer Seagate Space and aerospace and defense firm Aurex announced a strategic partnership on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, to provide turnkey offshore orbital launch solutions.

The alliance integrates Seagate Space’s mobile Gateway spaceports with Aurex’s LaunchReady mission engineering framework to offer commercial and national security customers dedicated sea-based launch corridors.

Bypassing Terrestrial Range Constraints

The offshore initiative directly targets mounting capacity bottlenecks at domestic terrestrial spaceports, where annual flight capacity is currently estimated at under 500 launches. With projected satellite deployment demand exceeding 200,000 payloads over the next decade, coastal launch facilities face physical expansion limits and airspace congestion exacerbated by increasing heavy-lift vehicle operations. Moving launch operations into the open ocean enables rocket operators to establish new flight azimuths, guarantee clear downrange safety corridors, and maintain uninterrupted pad availability away from populated areas.

Gateway Architecture and LaunchReady Integration

The partnership operationalizes Seagate Space’s Gateway platforms, which were previously selected to support a collaborative maritime launch architecture with Lockheed Martin and Firefly Aerospace. The integrated offshore service combines physical infrastructure with secure mission management. Constructed from modular steel float units, the mobile Gateway spaceports utilize dynamic positioning and an automated ballasting system to counter wave motion and maintain pad stability during fueling and liftoff, holding a Design Approval in Principle from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). Concurrently, aerospace and defense firm Aurex integrates its LaunchReady service to oversee payload encapsulation, autonomous flight safety, secure telemetry routing, and Communications Security (COMSEC) compliance in accordance with the National Space Cybersecurity Policy.

Project Neptune Demonstration Flight

“Offshore launch is essential to sustaining America’s launch cadence and strategic defense posture,” said Warren Kohm, Chief Executive Officer of Aurex.

To validate the offshore operational model, the partnership is supporting Project Neptune, a collegiate spaceflight initiative led by the University of Central Florida (UCF). Seagate Space is providing engineering integration for the student-built rocket, which targets the Kármán line during a maritime demonstration flight scheduled for May 2027 off Florida’s Gulf Coast.

SAN FRANCISCO — Earth observation company Planet Labs PBC has entered into a multi-launch agreement with launch vehicle developer Stoke Space to deploy optical imaging satellites aboard its reusable rocket fleet, the companies announced on Monday, Nov. 9, 2026.

The contract covers orbital delivery services across both Stoke’s Nova Pathfinder and larger Nova Block 2 launch vehicles, establishing dedicated manifest slots as Planet diversifies its commercial launch architecture.

Rideshare Transition and Provider Diversification Strategy

The agreement establishes dedicated launch capacity for Planet as the broader commercial rideshare market undergoes structural realignment. Planet has historically relied on SpaceX smallsat rideshares to deploy its imaging fleets, including its recent deployment of the Pelican-12 satellite aboard SpaceX Bandwagon-5. With SpaceX concluding dedicated Falcon 9 commercial rideshares and winding down commercial booster sales, Planet is assembling a multi-provider manifest to preserve regular constellation replenishment cadences across low Earth orbit without depending on a single launch architecture.

Nova Pathfinder and Nova Block 2 Payload Capabilities

Under the undisclosed multi-launch terms, Stoke Space will manifest Planet satellites across two successive rocket variants engineered for full reusability. The initial flights will utilize the Nova Pathfinder, a three-ton-to-orbit vehicle scheduled to conduct its inaugural orbital flight next year from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Subsequent launches will transition to the heavy-lift Nova Block 2 vehicle, which scales orbital lift capacity to 15 metric tons to support higher-volume constellation replenishment. The Block 2 rocket is supported by dedicated ground infrastructure financed under a Pentagon conditional loan commitment to Stoke Space to construct a second orbital launch pad in Florida.

Flight Cadence and Staged Deployment Timeline

The multi-year launch campaign follows a phased development timeline as Stoke Space advances hardware through static fire qualification and pad activation. Initial constellation deployments aboard Nova Pathfinder are slated for 2027, followed by expanded multi-satellite missions on Nova Block 2 when the heavy-lift booster debuts in 2029.

RENENS, Switzerland — Satellite payload developer SWISSto12 has completed the Critical Design Review (CDR) for the dual-band S- and Ka-band active phased array antennas destined for UNIVITY’s 5G non-terrestrial network (NTN) demonstration satellites, the company announced on Monday, Nov. 9, 2026.

Passing the milestone clears the antenna subsystems for flight hardware production, advancing UNIVITY’s planned constellation toward providing combined satellite broadband and direct-to-device connectivity from a unified spacecraft bus.

Shared Space Infrastructure and Spectrum Convergence

The antenna systems form a core component of UNIVITY’s uniShape demonstration initiative, backed institutionally by the French Space Agency (CNES) and the France 2030 investment plan. The mission targets a shared, neutral-host orbital infrastructure in very low Earth orbit (VLEO) that allows commercial telecommunications operators to deploy branded 5G broadband and direct-to-device coverage using their existing terrestrial spectrum allocations. The demonstration builds on early orbital validation conducted when UNIVITY launched its initial regenerative 5G payload aboard an orbital transfer vehicle.

HummingLink 3D-Printed Antennas and Beamforming Specifications

Manufactured at SWISSto12’s facility in Switzerland under its HummingLink product line, the dual-band suite incorporates vertically integrated radio frequency (RF) hardware:

• S-Band Direct Radiating Array: Operates as an active direct radiating array (DRA) engineered for direct-to-device connectivity, linking unmodified commercial 5G smartphones directly to orbital nodes.
• Ka-Band Direct Radiating Array: Functions at 26 GHz to deliver high-capacity user broadband services and feeder links.
• Additive Manufacturing: Employs proprietary 3D printing to fabricate passive radiating front ends with integrated miniaturized, low-loss filters, paired with in-house beamforming printed circuit boards (PCBs) and digital control electronics, expanding on SWISSto12’s additive manufacturing capabilities developed for sovereign and commercial payloads.

Hardware Production and Environmental Verification

“Reaching Critical Design Review in less than one year was possible due to SWISSto12’s proprietary and differentiated payload and antenna technology and a vertically integrated delivery model,” said Emile de Rijk, CEO and founder of SWISSto12. “It’s a significant milestone for the program and the start of the next phase as we move into hardware production and an extensive verification and acceptance campaign.”

With CDR approval finalized, SWISSto12 will initiate flight-model assembly and environmental acceptance testing ahead of UNIVITY’s planned prototype satellite launches.

MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. — Satellite terminal manufacturer ALL.SPACE announced on Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, that the U.S. Navy has placed a follow-on order for 59 Hydra MAX 2 satellite communications (SATCOM) terminals.

The follow-on procurement expands the service branch’s terminal inventory to 108 units and elevates cumulative U.S. Navy orders with the company beyond $25 million.

Contested Maritime Operations and Multi-Orbit Resilience

Modern naval surface operations face mounting electronic warfare challenges, jamming threats, and bandwidth constraints across dispersed operating areas. By pairing simultaneous multi-orbit links across commercial and military space networks, the Hydra terminals provide assured communications-on-the-move (COTM) without relying on single-point orbital nodes. The system supports high-throughput tactical datalinks for both crewed warships and emerging fleets of uncrewed surface and subsurface vessels.

Fleet Procurement Heritage and Defense Prime Integration

The award builds on the Navy’s previous procurement of 49 initial Hydra 2 terminals, representing the first major fleet expansion for the Hydra MAX 2 platform since its introduction in July 2026. The milestone follows the $300 million acquisition of ALL.SPACE by York Space Systems, which integrated the terminal manufacturer into York’s space prime architecture, as well as an Other Transaction agreement with the Defense Innovation Unit to scale high-rate terminal production.

Hydra MAX 2 Architecture and Band Interoperability Specs

Designed for dynamic maritime and land installations, the ruggedized Hydra MAX 2 platform integrates multi-link tracking within a single aperture:

• Constellation Coverage: Establishes wideband Ka-band connectivity with low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations while maintaining concurrent links to geostationary Earth orbit (GEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO), and highly elliptical orbit (HEO) networks.
• Onboard Systems: Incorporates intelligent multi-link orchestration algorithms and sovereign modem flexibility to automate beam switching and protect against localized signal disruption.

Fleet Delivery Roadmap and Executive Perspective

“When a customer returns for the next generation of a product, it is a strong endorsement of both the technology and the team behind it,” said Rod McCurdy, Chief Executive Officer of ALL.SPACE. “This follow-on order signals continued confidence in our multi-orbit communications capability and reflects growing demand for resilient connectivity in mission-critical operations.”

Manufacturing and assembly will take place at ALL.SPACE’s production facility in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, supported by engineering from Reading, United Kingdom, with terminal deliveries proceeding to naval operational units through 2027.

MIDLAND, Texas — Direct-to-device satellite operator AST SpaceMobile announced on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, that it will develop and build its own reusable heavy-lift orbital rocket, named Blacklift, through a $1.3 billion propulsion and licensing agreement with Firefly Aerospace.

The strategic initiative establishes an in-house launch architecture engineered to deploy the company’s next-generation BlueBird cellular broadband satellites directly into low Earth orbit (LEO).

In-House Launch Rationale and Constellation Delivery Control

The decision to develop an internal launch capability addresses persistent capacity shortages across commercial heavy-lift vehicles. AST SpaceMobile has navigated launch bottlenecks across multiple commercial providers, including pivoting to SpaceX for BlueBird launches to maintain deployment momentum following orbital delays.

With Firefly Aerospace leadership highlighting systemic launch vehicle shortages across the aerospace sector, the Blacklift program provides AST SpaceMobile with dedicated launch manifest priority to orbit its massive direct-to-device spacecraft without competing for third-party commercial rocket slots.

Blacklift Vehicle Specifications and Firefly Propulsion Integration

Sized to transport up to 20 metric tons to LEO, Blacklift is dimensioned to loft five full-scale BlueBird satellites per mission:

• First-Stage Propulsion: The reusable booster stage is powered by Firefly’s Miranda engines, which were initially developed and hot-fire tested for medium-to-heavy launch configurations.
• Upper-Stage Propulsion: The second stage incorporates Firefly’s vacuum-optimized Vira engines for orbital insertion.

Under the $1.3 billion deal, Firefly will manufacture and deliver complete shipsets of Miranda and Vira engines for the first three Blacklift orbital flights. Firefly will also provide dedicated engineering support while granting AST SpaceMobile an intellectual property license to manufacture the rocket engines independently for subsequent operational vehicles.

Testing Schedule and Initial Flight Window

AST SpaceMobile targets the maiden orbital test flight of Blacklift as soon as late 2028. The company has not yet selected a primary orbital launch site for the vehicle, with spaceport selection and propulsion manufacturing facility buildouts expected to proceed alongside engine testing over the next two years.