Worldwide Satellite Magazine SatMagazineSatMagazine Year in Review — December 2020 Publishing Operations Features Silvano Payne, Publisher + Executive Writer A Year to Forget. Can 2021 Be Better? 4 The Race in Space Depends on the Ground Keeping Pace 20 Simon Payne, Chief Technical Officer By Chris Forrester, Senior Contributor By Stuart Daughtridge, VP of Advanced Technology, Kratos Resilience Amid Challenges, Optimism for the Future 12 Reusable Launch Systems 86 Hartley G. Lesser, Editorial Director By Shelli Brunswick, COO, Space Foundation By Nilopal Ojha, Lead Research Analyst, BIS Reseach Pattie Lesser, Executive Editor Space Industry Investment, A Year’s End Review 18 How EUMETSAT is Collaborating with 88 Donald McGee, Production Manager By Dylan Taylor, Chairman and CEO, Voyager Space African Institutions for Meteorological Development Teresa Sanderson, Operations Director By Muhammed Akinyemi, Editor, Space in Africa Sean Payne, Business Development Director Year in Reviews Advertiser Index Dan Makinster, Technical Advisor Advantech Wireless Technologies 24 Advantech Wireless Technologies, Inc. 23 by Cristi Damian, VP Senior Columnists Alpha Data 26 by David Miller, Managing Director AvL Technologies 15 Chris Forrester, Broadgate Publications Aurora Propulsion Technologies 28 Karl Fuchs, iDirect Government Services by Roope Takala, CEO + Chairman AvL Technologies 30 Comtech EF Data 7 Bob Gough, Goonhilly Earth Station by Krystal Dredge, Marketing Director Rebecca M. Cowen-Hirsch, Inmarsat Cobham SATCOM 32 Ken Peterman, Viasat by Jens Ewerling, Product Manager CPI Satcom Products 5 Comtech EF Data 34 Giles Peeters, Track24 Defence by Richard Swardh, SVP Koen Willems, ST Engineering Newtec Comtech Xicom Technology 36 Integrasys 21 by Mark Schmeichel, President This Issue’s Authors D-Orbit 40 by Luca Rossettini, CEO + Founder Kratos Defense 39 Sulaiman Al Ali Deploy Solutions 42 Muhammed Akinyemi by Nick Kellett, Consultant Curt Blake Exolaunch 44 Mission Microwave 13 Shelli Brunswick by Jeanne Medvedeva, VP Gilat Satellite Networks 48 James Curry by Doreet Oren, Director Momentus Cover (1) Cristi Damian Global Surface Intelligence 50 Stuart Daughtridge by Peter Young, CEO Krystal Dredge ICEYE 52 ND Satcom Products GmbH 3 Thomas Van den Driessche by Rafal Modrzewski, Co-Founder + CEO Mission Microwave 54 Joakim Espeland by Erik Roberts, Product Manager Satnews Digital Editions 49 Jens Ewerling Momentus 56 Chris Forrester by Mikhail Kokorich, CEO David Gelerman QuadSAT 58 SmallSat Symposium 2021 25 Mike Gold by Joakim Espeland, CEO Responsive Access 60 Clint Graumann by Krystyna Lenshyna, COO SpaceBridge 11 John Innes SatADSL 62 Nick Kellett by James Curry, Consultant Mikhail Kokorich Satcoms Innovation Group (SIG) 64 W.B. Walton Enterprises, Inc. 9 Krystyna Lenshyna by Helen Weedon, Managing Director SpaceBridge 66 Jeanne Medvedeva by David Gelerman, President + CEO David Miller Space Data Association (SDA) 68 Rafal Modrzewski by Pascal Wauthier, Chairman SatMagazine is published 11 times a year by Satnews Publishers, 800 Siesta Way, Sonoma, CA, 95476 — USA. Nilopal Ojha Spaceflight Inc. 70 Phone: (707) 939-9306 / Fax: (707) 939-9235 Doreet Oren by Curt Blake, President + CEO © 2020 Satnews Publishers Scottish Space Leadership Council (SSLC) 72 Ray Powers We reserve the right to edit all submitted materials to meet by John Innes, Chairman + CEO Erik Roberts publication content guidelines, as well as for grammar and ST Engineering iDirect 74 spelling errors, or to move articles to an alternative issue to Luca Rossettini by Thomas Van den Driessche, President + CEO accommodate publication space requirements, or remove Mark Schmeichel TerraMetric 78 content due to space restrictions or unacceptable content. Submission of articles does not constitute acceptance of said Richard Swardh by Clint Graumann, Co-Founder + CEO material by Satnews Publishers. Edited materials may, or may not, Terrasat Communications 80 Roope Takala be returned to author and/or company for review prior to by Mike Gold, Regional VP publication. The views expressed in Satnews Publishers’ various Pascal Wauthier Thuraya Telecommunications Company 82 publications do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Helen Weedon Satnews Publishers. All rights reserved. All included imagery is by Sulaiman Al Ali, Deputy CEO courtesy of, and copyright to, the respective companies and/or Peter Young W.B. Walton Enterprises 84 named individuals. by Ray Powers, Director SatMagazine Page 2 December 2020 This singular satcom solution now features • Unique and exclusive True-Mesh ACM with single-hop mesh: 64x boost throughput • Highest link reliability regardless of weather • Flexible triple choice of network topology within one modem: New highly-efficient SCPC links, hubless true mesh MF-TDMA and DVB-S2 • Secure long-term investment with 4-year software support For detailed information use the QR code or contact: The advantage is yours when you choose SKYWAN 5G Release 2.0 [email protected] The Forrester Report: 2020... A Year to Forget. Can 2021 Be Better? By Chris Forrester, Senior Contributor 2020 was definitely a torrid year for almost all of the satellite SES CEO Steve Collar said SES could reach its industry. There were some bright spots, not the least of which was objectives and respond flexibly under the current Elon Musk’s assorted successes in building his Starlink constellation company structure and without the expense of and starting the beta-testing of the system. funding a split. However, Collar firmly declined to make any However, for the satellite operators, IFE suppliers and Cruise businesses comment on any consolidation move with Paris- the year was one to forget. The proof, if any was needed, is seen in the based rival Eutelsat although stressing that he firmly Steve Collar results of the key players. The ‘big five’ have had a terrible time. believed that consolidation was good for the industry. Collar said that the FCC C-band payments (see below) would allow some Spotlight On SES “disciplined” options. Group revenues for the 9-months were 1,410 SES, for example, unveiled their 9 month numbers (to September 30) on million euros and down 2.9 percent on 2019’s 1,452 million euros. November 5 and announced a major strategic change. The company is no Collar said that it was the company’s Networks revenues that were longer considering dividing its business into two entities. The abandoned the star performer, with revenues up 8.4 percent year-on-year (y-o-y) logic was designed to focus the new company on SES’ fast-growing and the third year of strong growth, securing 2.3 billion euros of ‘Networks’ division and leave the once vital cash-cow Video segment (still backlog. The Video division’s revenue was “stable quarter-on-quarter” 59 percent of the firm’s revenues) to maintain a plateauing DTH business. according to a company statement, at 832 million euros (down 8.1 percent) and with a core 3.5 billion euros of backlog. SatMagazine Page 4 December 2020 The upcoming SES-17 satellite and launches of the firm’s O3b‘s next generation mPower satellites have already secured $500 million of backlog. Also showing excellent growth was SES ‘Mobility,’ with 17.9 percent growth y-o-y. CPI GaN BUCs Artistic rendition of the SES­17 satellite. Image is courtesy of Thales Group. Collar said that the company was “on track” to clear US C-band frequencies and to realize the full $4 billion of accelerated relocation payments from the FCC. The auction is due to start this month The last word in solid state (December 2020). SES is fully on schedule for first clearing by 5 December 5, 2021, and second clearing by December 5, 2023 and from the 昀rst name in HPAs. providing “Significant shareholder returns [on the second payment].” • Ef昀cient solution for all satellite Specifically, and on the question of shareholder returns from the uplink applications FCC schedule, SES stated, “Second payment of C-band relocation incentive ($2.99bn pre-tax linked to success milestone in Q4 2023) to • Up to 160 W in Ka-band be used for a mix between return to shareholders, [strengthen] the • Up to 200 W in X-band balance sheet and any disciplined value-accretive investment.” SES also said they were anticipating a tax rate of 20 to 25 percent • Up to 100 W in C-band on the FCC payments, at the lower end of that range. • Up to 80 W in Ku-band The SES numbers received praise from analyst Giles Thorne from investment bank Jefferies, who said SES had delivered a “good set • 1,000 W C-band transceiver of results. There is plenty here to support the recent break-out in the equity [share price rise], albeit from depressed levels.” Thorne’s prescient comments were endorsed with the ‘Virus Vaccination’ news on November 8 that sent SES shares up 9 percent on the day, all prompted by hopes that air travel and cruising restarts can start once again. 80 W Ku-band BUC 160 W Ka-band BUC Sami Kassab from Exane/BNPP was also optimistic. “[This improved organic revenue] underpins our view that SES technology is market-leading and enables the group to win new contracts more Download our app! than offsetting industry-wide pricing pressure. Mobility is ahead of Search: CPI Satcom expectations too. SES keeps growing in Mobility while Eutelsat is suffering declining revenues due to Covid 19 and a weaker infrastructure, in our view. CPI Satcom Products | www.cpii.com | +1 (669) 275-2744 SatMagazine Page 5 December 2020 “We note that management has decided that the costs needed to Collar indicated that while the cruise and aviation segments of the firm’s separate Networks and Video were too high and has announced ‘Mobility’ division were extremely stressed at the current time due to that it would not proceed with the separation of both divisions. We COVID, he was expecting a return to a more normal, trading starting do not believe this closes the optionality on M&A, however.” next year, with the cruise industry returning to activity.