Optus completes Phase 1 of Project Aurora, undocks mission extension vehicle from D3 satellite
AUSTRALIA 06:08

Optus completes Phase 1 of Project Aurora, undocks mission extension vehicle from D3 satellite

Australian operator Optus has completed the first phase of Project Aurora, a mission aimed at extending the operational life of its Optus D3 satellite. The phase ended with the successful undocking of the mission extension vehicle (MEV) from the satellite.

Space42 signs contract for Autonomous A2Z testing in UAE
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 11 AUG

Space42 signs contract for Autonomous A2Z testing in UAE

Space42 has signed a USD 7 million commercial agreement with Autonomous A2Z (A2Z), South Korea's autonomous driving company, to deploy Level 4 mobility solutions across the UAE. Marking the first commercial contract under their broader partnership, this direct supply agreement operates independently of the joint venture the two companies announced in 2025 to scale intelligent mobility over the long term.

Lufthansa starts on-board Wi-Fi powered by Starlink
EUROPE 11 AUG

Lufthansa starts on-board Wi-Fi powered by Starlink

Lufthansa has confirmed plans to equip all 850 of its aircraft across its airlines with Wi-Fi connections powered by Starlink by 2029. The first flight to provide Startlink-powered Wi-Fi is planned for 19 August, aboard an Airbus A320neo. Other airlines of the Lufthansa group including Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, ITA Airways, Edelweiss, Discover Airlines, Air Dolomiti, Lufthansa City Airlines, and Eurowings are preparing to roll out the new satellite technology as well.

Rocket Lab plans 3rd launch site in Alaska as backlog grows to USD 2.4 bln
UNITED STATES 11 AUG

Rocket Lab plans 3rd launch site in Alaska as backlog grows to USD 2.4 bln

Rocket Lab announced plans for a new launch site in Alaska, giving the company three locations to put satellites into orbit. The site makes use of GHOST, its new containerised launch system that can be deployed for launches anywhere in the world. 

Rocket Lab expands European footprint with new German arm
GERMANY 11 AUG

Rocket Lab expands European footprint with new German arm

Rocket Lab has announced a strategic expansion of its footprint in Europe by establishing Rocket Lab Germany. The German arm is intended to scale up satellite and component manufacturing in Germany and support Europe's autonomy in the space industry. Rocket Lab Germany will deliver launch services on the company's Electron and Neutron rockets, ensuring critical European programmes have assured access to space, according to the company.

Japan completes launch of new Michibiki positioning satellite
JAPAN 11 AUG

Japan completes launch of new Michibiki positioning satellite

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has completed the launch of a new Michibiki satellite aboard its H3 launch vehicle from Tanegashima Space Center. The agency said the rocket flew as planned, and approximately 29 minutes after the liftoff, the separation of the satellite was confirmed and it was lifted into the predetermined orbit.

Kepler picks Rocket Lab for dedicated satellite launch in 2028
GLOBAL 11 AUG

Kepler picks Rocket Lab for dedicated satellite launch in 2028

Kepler Communications awarded a launch contract to Rocket Lab to deploy new low Earth orbit satellites. The dedicated Neutron mission from the Rocket Lab site in Virginia will take place no earlier than 2028, deploying multiple satellites to expand Kepler's constellation with additional optical connectivity, on-orbit compute, and hosted payload capacity.  

Xona navigation project moves ahead thanks to FCC clearance
GLOBAL 11 AUG

Xona navigation project moves ahead thanks to FCC clearance

Navigation satellite developer Xona said it was given the go ahead by the US Federal Communications Commission for its planned low Earth orbit constellation and Pulsar navigation service. The company plans to bring over 250 satellites into orbit, with the first batch, consisting of six production-grade spacecraft, set to launch in October.

Bolivia to install 5,000 Starlink antennas at rural schools
BOLIVIA 10 AUG

Bolivia to install 5,000 Starlink antennas at rural schools

Bolivia will install more than 5,000 Starlink antennas in unconnected areas over the coming months to provide internet access to rural schools, President Rodrigo Paz said in an address marking the country's 201st anniversary. The rollout, part of the government's Connected Classroom programme, will initially target rural and semi-urban schools in the departments of La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz. State-owned operator Entel will oversee the installations and aims to achieve nationwide coverage by the end

Arabsat and Libya Telecom sign satellite connectivity deal
LIBYA 10 AUG

Arabsat and Libya Telecom sign satellite connectivity deal

The Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Arabsat) and Libya Telecom and Technology (LTT) have agreed a partnership to deliver secure and reliable satellite services in Libya. Arabsat will supply High Throughput Satellite (HTS) capacity via Arabsat-6A at Arabsat-6A at 30.5 degrees to support LTT's growing connectivity demands. The partnership also creates a platform to explore opportunities for collaboration and expanded service capabilities to address the needs of government, enterprise, telecommunic

Eutelsat and SES issue market updates on Iris2 investments
EUROPE 8 AUG

Eutelsat and SES issue market updates on Iris2 investments

Satellite operators Eutelsat and SES, both partners in the SpaceRISE consortium, have provided market updates on their investment commitments to Europe's Iris2 programme. The announcements coincide with confirmation that the planned IRIS2 network will expand in scope and reach a total of 348 satellites. Commenting on the development, Eutelsat said its commitments now include EUR 2.23 billion of investment in shared Iris2 infrastructure assets, along with a further EUR 1.16 billion for infrastructure includi

FCC takes forward proposal to permit D2D satellite access in licence-exempt devices
UNITED STATES 7 AUG

FCC takes forward proposal to permit D2D satellite access in licence-exempt devices

The US Federal Communications Commission has voted to explore measures that could allow Wi-Fi devices and other license-exempt wireless equipment to connect with D2D satellite fleets. It comes after the FCC chairman, Brendan Carr,  initially submitted the proposal in July with the goal of unlocking roughly 200 MHz in unlicensed bandwidth for D2D satellite communications.

EUROPE 7 AUG

EU expands Iris2 constellation to 348 satellites, Hispasat named prime contractor

The European Commission has reached an agreement with the SpaceRISE consortium led by Eutelsat, SES and Hispasat to further expand the Iris2 satellite constellation. The deal adds 66 satellites into low Earth orbit to the EUR 15.6 billion programme, bringing the main constellation to 348 satellites, and moving it from planning to full-scale deployment, said the EC.

GLOBAL 7 AUG

AST completes Block 2 satellites launch, starts network tests in Europe

AST SpaceMobile has dispatched three additional satellites destined for its BlueBird constellation into orbit. BlueBird 11, 12 and 13 departed from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on a Falcon 9 rocket on 05 August. The orbital launches have been scheduled since the end of June. It follows the successful deployment of AST's BlueBird 8, 9 and 10 satellites, and the company is now preparing another batch of three satellites for its next mission.

GLOBAL 7 AUG

Eutelsat organic revenue grows 8% in June quarter, LEO business up 82%

Eutelsat Group reported an acceleration in revenue growth during the three months to June, its fiscal fourth quarter, supported by continued strong momentum at its OneWeb LEO (Low Earth Orbit) operations. Overall revenue increased 8 percent on a like-for-like basis to EUR 351 million, while growth across the operating verticals improved to 7 percent, compared with 1 percent in the previous quarter.

THAILAND 7 AUG

Thaicom's revenue jumps nearly 10% in Q2 boosted by domestic satellite projects

Thaicom posted total revenue from sales and services of THB 497 million for the second quarter of 2026, which represents a sequential increase of 9.7 percent from THB 453 million in the first quarter of this year. Thaicom says this increase was primarily driven by higher revenue from satellite and related services provided to domestic customers, particularly revenue from the construction project to expand the ground station for Globalstar to support its new communication technologies and services, which Tha

SPAIN 7 AUG

Amazon Leo inks official distribution deal with Spain's Ibsat

Spanish satellite connectivity provider Ibsat, a subsidiary of Bluetel Wireless, has signed an agreement to serve as an authorised distributor of Amazon Leo services throughout Spain and Portugal. Under the deal, Ibsat will act as an official reseller of Amazon Leo's satellite internet to the more than 80 local ISPs and agents that are part of its ecosystem in the Iberian peninsula.

GLOBAL 7 AUG

Gilat successfully demonstrates AI-powered satellite interference detection

Gilat Satellite Networks announced the successful demonstration of a patent-pending, AI-based interference detection and cancellation technology for satellite communication links. Designed to run on standard edge NPUs, the solution leverages advanced AI signal processing to handle complex, non-cooperative, and non-static interference scenarios. In preliminary tests, the technology achieved up to a 10x performance improvement over conventional mitigation techniques, effectively detecting and canceling aggres

AUSTRALIA 6 AUG

Satellite IoT company Myriota appoints new CFO

Myriota, Australia-based global satellite IoT technology company, has appointed Richard Leon as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to support its global growth and upcoming capital fundraising. He is a very experienced public markets CFO, most recently serving as CFO at Altium. His appointment comes as Myriota focuses on boosting global customer growth and platform expansion, following the recent launch of its HyperPulse hybrid satellite and cellular IoT network and AssetHawk asset tracking platform.

ISRAEL 6 AUG

Gilat Satellite Networks revenue grows 17% in Q2

Gilat Satellite Networks said revenues rose 17 percent year-over-year to USD 122.7 million in the second quarter ended June from USD 105.0 million in Q2 2025. GAAP operating income fell to USD 4.7 million from USD 5.7 million a year earlier, while non-GAAP operating income surged 35 percent to USD 12.6 million from USD 9.3 million in Q2 2025.

CHINA 6 AUG

China launches 23rd batch of LEO internet satellites

China has successfully deployed its 23rd batch of low-Earth-orbit (LEO) internet satellites into space on 4 August, Qazinform news agency reports. The satellites were launched from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site in Wenchang, Hainan province, using a Long March-8A carrier rocket.

ANGOLA 6 AUG

Angola and Mozambique advance cooperation talks to boost regional connectivity via satellite

Angola and Mozambique have deepened their space sector collaboration to accelerate joint satellite and connectivity projects, TechreviewAfrica reported. The plan was advanced during a 03 August working meeting between Angola's National Space Programme Management Office (GGPEN) and Mozambique's National Communications Institute (INCM), led by board chairwoman Helena Fernandes Tomas. The meeting focused on implementing existing bilateral space agreements, with the INCM seeking to leverage Angola's space manag

KENYA 6 AUG

Airtel Kenya awaits regulatory approval for direct-to-cell satellite service

Airtel Kenya says it is preparing to launch a direct-to-cell (DTC) satellite service, The Star reported. Managing director Djibril Tobe said pilot testing has been successful, and the zero-cost add-on service is now awaiting final commercial roll-out approval from the Communications Authority of Kenya. Tobe said the service will initially support 4G and 5G smartphones, automatically transitioning users to SpaceX satellites when they travel beyond standard cell tower range, without requiring hardware upgrade

UNITED STATES 6 AUG

SpaceX outlines plans for Starlink mobile service based on femtocells in US

SpaceX is planning to build out a terrestrial mobile network in the US using the spectrum it agreed to buy from Echostar. However, the company is unlikely to invest in traditional base stations, and instead sees an opportunity to use microcells placed on existing Starlink satellite dishes. The plans were disclosed during a conference call on the company's quarterly results.

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Background

9 AUG 23:44

The week in telecom: Starlink's mobile ambitions and LEO challengers, plus Hollywood studios try streaming shorts and sports

2 AUG 23:37

The week in telecom: Telcos resist economic slowdown in Q2 while big tech gears up for more AI investment

26 JUL 23:19

The week in telecom: Samsung works on foldable challenge, US telcos try FMC

19 JUL 23:41

The week in telecom: OnePlus exits tough smartphone market and Apple takes on OpenAI