June 3, 2024

ST Engineering Seeks Role in Direct-to-Smartphone (Source: Space News)
Ground network specialist ST Engineering iDirect is looking to carve out a place in the emerging direct-to-smartphone market. The company sees opportunities in helping satellite operators manage large numbers of devices than come in and out of coverage zones. The company is also looking to use its network management expertise to provide billing support and guard against interference concerns threatening to hold the market back. ST Engineering iDirect announced a strategy in March for a unified platform centered around virtualized, standards-based multi-orbit networking tools that could support the direct-to-smartphone market, although the company says that work is still at a very early stage. (6/3)

Parachute Line Blamed for New Shepard Anomaly (Source: Space News)
A parachute line that was not properly cut is the likely reason why one of New Shepard's parachutes did not fully open on its latest flight. One of three parachutes did not fully inflate on the NS-25 suborbital flight last month, although the capsule landed safely. At a briefing Friday, NASA officials said they were briefed by Blue Origin about the issue to see if there may be any commonality with Starliner's parachutes. That investigation found that a line that reefs, or controls the expansion, of the parachutes was not cut as intended, keeping the parachute's throat closed. Blue Origin is still working to determine why the line was not cut, but NASA said there was no cause for concern for Starliner's parachutes. (6/3)

Gyro Problem Pauses Hubble Operations (Source: NASA)
Another gyro problem has paused operations of the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA said Friday that the spacecraft went into safe mode May 24 due to an "ongoing" issue with one of the three remaining gyros. The agency didn't explain why it waited a week to disclose the problem but said it would provide an update early this week. (6/3)

Indian Regulators Delay Approvals for Satellite Broadband (Source: Financial Express)
Indian regulators may not issue final approvals for satellite broadband services like OneWeb and Starlink until next year. The country's Department of Telecommunications is working with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to set up a pricing framework for satellite spectrum, after which TRAI will start consultations with stakeholders, a  process expected to take at least six months. That would delay final approvals for companies to provide satellite broadband services to at least early 2025, officials said. (6/3)

Privatization of Space Travel is Cutting the Cost of Rocket Launches and Powering Innovation (Source: Quillete)
The widely discussed private space missions financed by billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are only part of a far larger development in the space industry, where the focus is shifting from government agencies to private companies. In April 2024, the World Economic Forum published a study forecasting that, “Lower costs and improved access to space-enabled technologies such as communications; positioning, navigation and timing; and Earth observation services could take the global space economy to US$1.8 trillion by 2035, up from US$630 billion in 2023.” 

In 2022, the global space economy was worth US$546 billion, of which the commercial sector accounted for around 78 percent or US$427.6 billion. Private companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, and (soon) Stoke Space are playing an increasingly important role. Hundreds of companies are now active in the space sector, and the competition between rocket manufacturers to find the cheapest solutions for launching satellites has led to dramatic cost reductions. “Thanks to private space travel, the cost of a rocket launch is now only a fifth of what it was 15 years ago,” says space-travel expert Robert Zubrin.

The growing dominance of private companies in the space industry is remarkable because it contrasts so strikingly with more general global political and economic trends. Over the past 15 years, there has been a noticeable global shift towards state intervention and decreasing reliance on market forces. (5/26)

PIF Launches Neo Space Group (NSG) to Boost Saudi Arabia’s Satellite and Space Industries (Source: PIF)
PIF today announced the establishment of the Neo Space Group (NSG), a wholly owned PIF company that will become a national champion in the satellite and space sector. NSG will enhance the space and satellite sector by developing local capabilities and boosting its strategic position within the growing global space economy.
 
The group aims to develop and enhance commercial space operations in Saudi Arabia, providing innovative satellite and space solutions locally and globally. It will invest in local and international assets and capabilities, as well as promising venture capital opportunities, to catalyze the advancement and localization of sector-specific expertise. (5/27)