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SIA PRESIDENT’S REPORT – MEMBER NEWS FOR AUG 2020 Since our last SIA Member News Summary, press releases and posts from many SIA Members including Amazon, Boeing, Hughes, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Iridium, Kymeta, Planet, SES, SpaceX, Spire and Viasat have released news. Please see the summary of stories and postings below and click on the COMPANY LINK for more details. SPACEX On Aug 2nd, SpaceX announced that 63 days after being launched from Cape Canaveral, FL, Crew Dragon undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) before successfully splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pensacola, FL. The flight marked the return of human spaceflight to the U.S. and the first-time in history a commercial company successfully took astronauts to orbit and back. The Demo-2 mission was also the final major test milestone for SpaceX’s human spaceflight system to be certified by NASA for operational crew missions to and from the ISS. (photo credit: SpaceX) SPIRE On Aug 27th, Spire posted the following. “The summer of 2020 has had its fair share of out of the ordinary weather events. From thunderstorms and lightning to cyclones, most parts of the world are experiencing extreme weather conditions. Storm forecasts are one way to mitigate the impact a storm has on an area both in the form of human safety and economics. Storms cause damage to an area’s vital infrastructure, they disrupt supply chains, cost billions of dollars each year in structural damages, and most importantly, lives are lost. Forecasting a storm allows for measures to be put in place to lessen the impact of these extreme storms and save lives. Spire’s weather data paints an interesting picture of what’s happening with weather around the globe and provides insights into what might happen next. With extreme weather events on the rise and the cost to rebuild storm affected areas numbering in the billions of dollars, we’re using our unique global observation network, powered by our radio occultation data, to track the increase in storms and atmospheric events. Below we look at hurricane visualizations, cyclones, and typhoons. It’s been a wild and destructive 2020 so far, storm forecasts are crucial to limiting the global economic impact and improving human-safety measures if these storms continue to get worse as we are now seeing with Hurricane Laura.” SES On Aug 20th, SES announced it had selected SpaceX as a launch partner to deliver the four newly- ordered O3b mPOWER spacecraft of its next-generation Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) communications system. Just like the initial seven O3b mPOWER satellites procured, these additional four satellites will be launched into space on board Falcon 9 rockets from Cape Canaveral. A total of four Falcon 9 rockets will be used to support the deployment of all O3b mPOWER satellites. SES's O3b mPOWER fully-funded communications system comprises 11 high-throughput and low-latency satellites as well as an automated and intelligence-powered ground infrastructure. Built by Boeing, each satellite will generate thousands of dynamic beams and can deliver connectivity services ranging from 50Mbps to multiple gigabits per second to telecommunications, maritime, aeronautical, and energy, as well as governments and institutions across the world. SES has previously announced Orange and Carnival Cruises its first O3b mPOWER customers. SIA PRESIDENT’S REPORT – MEMBER NEWS FOR AUG 2020 O3b mPOWER is SES’s next-generation MEO system. It is built on the proven track record of SES’s current O3b constellation of 20 MEO satellites. Today, the O3b system is delivering high-performance communications services to customers operating in nearly 50 countries. PLANET On Aug 18th, Planet announced that SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched SkySats 19, 20 and 21 on another successful Starlink rideshare mission. SkySats 19-21 were successfully injected into a drop-off orbit of approximately 207 x 370 km, 53 degree inclination. Over the next several weeks the SkySat satellites will use their onboard propulsion to boost themselves up to their operational altitude of 400 km, and also begin phasing their orbital plane with respect to SkySats 16-18 in order to maximize coverage and revisit. These three new SkySats join the 18 others already in orbit and significantly expand the Company’s capacity to provide world class, high-resolution images to a variety of commercial, governmental, academic and non-profit organizations. SkySats 19-21 are also the final SkySats to be built and launched, completing the campaign of 21 satellites originally planned by the SkyBox team in 2009. KYMETA On Aug 18th, Kymeta Corporation announced the successful acquisition of Lepton Global Solutions LLC (www.leptonglobal.com), which will become a wholly owned direct subsidiary of Kymeta Corporation. Established in 2013, Lepton Global Solutions is a leading provider of satellite-based customized turn-key communications solutions and services with expertise in the Intelligence Community (IC), Special Operations Command (SOC) and other government sectors. Acquiring Lepton combines critical capabilities and strengthens Kymeta’s ability to pursue key opportunities with U.S. defense and government customers in locations around the world. As a rapidly growing satellite communication services provider with a global and scalable network infrastructure, the company provides customized end-to-end connectivity solutions that can be deployed quickly and efficiently to meet the needs of customers wherever they are located. SPACEX On Aug 18th, SpaceX announced it had launched its eleventh Starlink mission, which included 58 Starlink satellites and three of Planet’s SkySats. Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Falcon 9’s first stage previously supported the Telstar 18 VANTAGE mission in September 2018, the Iridium-8 mission in January 2019, and three separate Starlink missions in May 2019, January 2020, and June 2020. Following stage separation, SpaceX landed Falcon 9’s first stage on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. Planet’s SkySats deployed sequentially about 12 and a half minutes after liftoff, and the Starlink satellites deployed approximately 46 minutes after liftoff. INTELSAT On Aug 15th, Intelsat announced the successful launch of Galaxy 30, a geosynchronous communications satellite that will primarily provide high-performance television distribution service to Intelsat’s North American customers. Mission Extension Vehicle 2 (MEV-2) on-orbit servicing satellite was also part of the same launch. The Intelsat 10-02 satellite is scheduled to be MEV-2’s first customer in early 2021. Galaxy 30 and MEV-2 were launched on the Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket from the Guiana Space Center near Kourou, French Guiana and Intelsat confirmed its signal acquisition. Galaxy 30 is the first satellite in Intelsat’s Galaxy fleet refresh plan and will replace Galaxy 14 at 125 degrees west once it is in service in early 2021. The Intelsat Galaxy fleet provides highly reliable and efficient media content distribution system in North America. VIASAT On Aug 10th, Viasat announced it had partnered with American Express and a growing group of companies on the Stand For Small program, an initiative to provide meaningful support to millions of small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Stand for Small initiative provides support and access to business-critical services, offers, tools and expertise, among other benefits through a centralized, digital platform. These resources aim to help small businesses during the COVID-19 crisis and their recovery efforts, by helping business owners reduce operating expenses, manage teams remotely, enhance digital SIA PRESIDENT’S REPORT – MEMBER NEWS FOR AUG 2020 capabilities and address other needs. Through the program, Viasat will provide discounted satellite-enabled business internet services to new U.S. small business customers in need during these challenging times. Currently, Viasat’s business internet service covers 96% of the U.S. population, and offers a variety of unlimited and metered data plans with download speeds up to 100 Mbps in select areas. The Company also implemented a number of initiatives to help U.S. small businesses stay connected during the COVID-19 crisis. INMARSAT On Aug 10th, Inmarsat Government posted a blog by Rebecca Cowen-Hirsch, Senior Vice President for Government Strategy and Policy, Inmarsat Government Inc. The post is titled, “How SATCOM supports emergency planning and helps the DoD protect military assets during disasters”. “We are quickly approaching National Preparedness Month (NPM) in September – a month to promote the importance of disaster and emergency planning in order to be ready before events like the COVID-19 pandemic, the recent Hurricane Hanna that hit the Gulf Coast of southern Texas and other disasters strike… SATCOM connectivity enables servicemen and women to coordinate efforts within units and to/from command posts in times of duress. Reliable, easy-to-install and operate communications under such extreme circumstances can be a fleeting commodity, with local terrestrial infrastructure and mobile phone networks frequently overloaded, damaged or non-existent. This is why we must recognize that, more than ever, SATCOM plays a critical role during emergencies and disasters.” To view the complete posting, please click on the INMARSAT link above. BOEING On Aug 7th, Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced it had received a contract to build four additional 702X satellites from SES as it increases the number of O3b mPOWER satellites in its Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) to 11. These four additional O3b mPOWER satellites will enhance SES’s next-generation MEO constellation throughput and efficiency as well as expand its unique capabilities to deliver connectivity services ranging from 50Mbps to multiple gigabits per second to a single user. The system will allow telecommunications companies, mobile network operators, governments, enterprises, aircraft and ship operators, and more, to connect with their core network or extend cloud access worldwide.
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