AST SpaceMobile remains on schedule for a Q1 launch of its first five mobile supplemental coverage from space (SCS) satellites, CEO Abel Avellan said Tuesday in a call with analysts as the company announced Q3 results. He said it's in talks with "multiple strategic partners" about funding the manufacturing, launch and operation of additional BlueBird satellites beyond those five. Asked about the end of the Iridium/Qualcomm SCS partnership (see 2311090077), Avellan said it was unsurprising as SCS offerings that work on currently available smartphones -- such as AST's planned service -- make those that require new chips -- such as through Qualcomm -- less relevant.
The Secure World Foundation on Tuesday released a statement urging nations to commit to not conducting destructive anti-satellite (ASAT) testing. Among the 26 signatories from nine nations were satcom operators Amazon’s Kuiper, Iridium and Eutelsat. The statement notes 37 nations that so far have committed not to conduct destructive ASAT testing and "encourage[s] additional countries to make similar declarations." "With each additional country to make this commitment, the world gets closer to a widely-accepted international norm that responsible space actors do not deliberately create long-lived debris that threatens the long-term sustainability of space activities," the statement reads. The U.S. made an ASAT commitment in 2022 (see 2204190057).
To reduce the risk of satellite collisions in space, satellite operators should look at relevant risk-mitigation approaches in design and procurement and should design and operate those satellites such that they're trackable by space situational awareness systems, the Global Satellite Operators Association said Monday as it released its space sustainability code of conduct. Its recommendations also included real-time data sharing with other operators and government agencies, designing satellites to minimize debris, choosing satellite materials that minimize brightness and reflectivity, and taking all reasonable steps to avoid light reflection from the satellite in the direction of astronomical observatories.
The FCC Space Bureau wants more detail from SpaceX about how it can shut off its mobile supplemental coverage from space (SCS) service in the event it causes harmful interference. In a letter to SpaceX this week regarding its pending modification of its second-generation satellite system authorization to allow SCS service (see 2302080001), the bureau asked (docket 23-135) how ceasing the service might potentially affect service to adjacent unserved or underserved areas. It also asked for clarification about why there is a notable difference in power levels in its U.S. and German ITU filings.
Iridum's mobile supplemental coverage from space (SCS) deal with chipmaker Qualcomm (see 2301050061) is dead, the satellite operator said Thursday. Iridium said Qualcomm opted to terminate the SCS agreement effective Dec. 3 after a lack of Android smartphone makers adopting the Iridium-enabled direct to device capability technology. Iriidum said it will talk with other chipmakers, smartphone OEMs and smartphone operating system developers with which it had previously been collaborating.
The time may be coming for commercial space operators regulated by the FAA to have to contribute to the agency's income, Transportation Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg said Wednesday at an FAA Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) meeting. Asked about the likelihood of increased congressional funding for FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation, Trottenberg said the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act put a lot of money into some forms of infrastructure but not as much on aviation items including FAA staffing and equipment. She said the DOT appropriations process for FY 2024 also looks contentious. Even if the FAA gets more resources, that ramp-up in resources almost surely still won't be enough to match the pace of commercial space activity. Michael O'Donnell, deputy associate administrator-commercial space transportation, said the FAA has licensed and overseen 104 launches so far this year, with the number on track to hit 120 by year's end. Last year saw 84 launches, he said. COMSTAC members and DOT officials went back and forth for several minutes regarding the speed of FAA activity. Virginia Commercial Space Flight CEO Ted Mercer said there's no industry disagreement that FAA's priority is safety, but there is some about how the agency goes about that. He criticized FAA activity around Rocket Lab's Electron rocket failure earlier this year as misguided because while it represented a mission failure, it posed no danger to humans. "Safety organizations tend to be conservative by their nature," Trottenberg said, but noted the agency recognizes it needs to move faster -- if not at the speed of industry. Michael Price, FAA lead compliance specialist-Airport Compliance Division, said the FAA is considering a policy change that would give launch and re-entry vehicles and unmanned aircraft systems greater access to federally funded airports. The FAA has drafted a policy statement that updates the definition of "aeronautical activity" for federally funded airports to include UAS and rockets, Price said. The change gives launch and UAS operators greater ability to try to provide access to the public on reasonable terms, he said. He said the policy statement's publication in the Federal Register is imminent, followed by a 30-day comment period.
Paperwork Reduction Act comments regarding satellite digital audio broadcasting service licensees' public broadcasting requirements are due Jan. 8, per a notice for Thursday's Federal Register. The agency said it was seeking input on issues such as whether the licensees' information collection -- including advertising practice disclosures and public file maintenance -- was needed and if the information has public utility.
The global maritime cellular airtime data market -- an estimated $330 million annually in 2022 -- likely will dip this year due to the growing popularity of low earth orbit, very-small-aperture terminal satellite services, Valour Consultancy blogged Wednesday. It said the coming years should bring a rebound as more vessels adopt hybrid connectivity.
Pointing to international regulators looking to the FCC for leadership on how to address mobile supplemental coverage from space, Lynk representatives urged that the agency move expeditiously on its SCS proceeding. In a meeting with an aide to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel recapped in docket 23-65, posted Tuesday, Lynk said that could lead to a global framework involving tests involving scope and power and conditions requiring approval from other users of the terrestrial spectrum. Lynk said Tuesday it would partner with mobile operator bmobile Solomon Islands to provide direct-to-device service in the South Pacific nation, starting with a beta test this year and then full service across the Solomon Islands in 2024. In meetings with aides to Rosenworcel and Commissioners Brendan Carr and Nathan Simington, SpaceX pushed for approval of its pending SCS applications, per a docket 23-135 filing posted Tuesday.
The FCC Space Bureau has signed off on a six-year license for PlanetiQ's proposed low earth orbit Gnomes-4 satellite for radio occultation services (see 2209220005), per a grant Monday.