Jason Rainbow

Iridium Communications is buying the rest of the Aireon aircraft-tracking venture its connectivity constellation hosts to push further into aviation safety, surveillance and data services.

TAMPA, Fla. — Cowboy Space has filed plans with the Federal Communications Commission for a 20,000-satellite “Stampede” orbital data center constellation, shortly after raising $275 million to develop rockets with upper stages designed to host the computing payloads.

TAMPA, Fla. — A planned direct-to-device (D2D) joint venture between AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon has divided operators behind the satellites needed to connect ordinary smartphones from space.

Weather intelligence provider Tomorrow.io has added $35 million to its latest funding round, bringing the total to $210 million to accelerate development of a next-generation constellation for gathering atmospheric data.

Lynk Global has secured regulatory approval to test how its direct-to-device satellites could extend private utility networks using terrestrial spectrum from Anterix in the United States.

TAMPA, Fla. — Starfighters Space, which is developing F-104 supersonic jets for satellite air-launch, is turning its Texas facility into a staging ground for microgravity flight testing in response to NASA's call for information on commercial parabolic capabilities.

TAMPA, Fla. — SpaceX's IPO prospectus casts Starlink Mobile as more than a remote-area backup, with next-generation direct-to-smartphone services designed to be “on par with terrestrial mobile networks” even in urban areas.

TAMPA, Fla. — Starcloud has ordered optical terminals from SpaceX to use Starlink as a global data-relay network for its future orbital data centers, deepening ties with the company it is counting on to launch full-size spacecraft.

TAMPA, Fla. — Europe has proposed reserving two-thirds of 2 gigahertz mobile satellite spectrum up for renewal next year for European operators, complicating SpaceX's direct-to-device (D2D) ambitions and the outlook for Viasat's European Aviation Network.

TAMPA, Fla. — South Korean optical payload developer TelePIX and Indian propulsion specialist Bellatrix Aerospace have teamed up on a very low Earth orbit (VLEO) geospatial demonstration mission slated for 2028.