Page 60 - SAMENA Trends - August 2020

SATELLITE UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

SpaceX is Manufacturing 120 Starlink Internet Satellites per Month

SpaceX is manufacturing its Starlink about six satellites per month at the peak customer side, SpaceX last week told the
satellites at an unprecedented rate for of production,” Quilty said. Iridium’s NEXT FCC that is already seeing “extraordinary
the space industry, analysts say, as the satellites are nearly three times the mass of demand” from people interested in
company dives headlong into building a Starlink satellite, at about 670 kilograms Starlink’s internet service. The company
a space-based global internet service. versus an estimated 260 kilograms. But, said “nearly 700,000 individuals” across
Elon Musk’s company told the Federal even with the caveat that each Starlink is the United States said they were interested
Communications Commission in a smaller than an Iridium satellite, SpaceX in the service, causing SpaceX to request
presentation last month that its Starlink is building its spacecraft 20 times as that the FCC increase the number of
unit is “now building 120 satellites per fast. Notably, Quilty pointed out that authorized user terminals to 5 million from
month” and has “invested over $70 million Iridium’s satellites were built by European 1 million. Right now it seems the primary
developing and producing thousands of aerospace conglomerate Thales Alenia bottleneck for Starlink’s service lies in how
consumer user terminals per month.” Space. Additionally, rival satellite internet quickly SpaceX can launch the satellites,
“Invested hundreds of millions of dollars in startup OneWeb was building satellites at according to industry analytics firm Bryce
Starlink to date,” the SpaceX presentation a rate of about 30 per month before it went Space and Technology. The company has
added. Starlink is SpaceX’s ambitious bankrupt — and Quilty highlighted that been launching Starlink missions about
plan to build an interconnected network OneWeb’s production line was designed once per month with its Falcon 9 rocket
of about 12,000 small satellites, to beam and built in collaboration with Airbus, fleet. “At 60 satellites per Falcon 9, SpaceX
high-speed internet from orbit to anywhere another European aerospace giant. That is also driven to bring its Starship launch
in the world. The company has so far makes Starlink the only of the three with vehicle online as soon as it can, as the
launched nearly 600 Starlink satellites and satellites built solely by a U.S. firm, as company says each will be able to carry
is currently building a system of ground well as the most productive. “American 400 Starlink satellites at a time,” Bryce
stations and user terminals, to connect ingenuity wins again,” Quilty said. On the senior space analyst Phil Smith told CNBC.
consumers directly to its network. It’s
difficult to contextualize what SpaceX
satellite production rate means has given
the difference in size and complexity of
spacecraft built by other companies.
But Quilty Analytics founder Chris Quilty
told CNBC that Starlink manufacturing is
happening at a speed never before seen
in the satellite sector. Quilty’s boutique
research and investment firm focuses
on the satellite communications sector,
which he founded after leading Raymond
James’ coverage of the space industry for
20 years. “To put it in perspective, Iridium,
which previously held the record for the
largest commercial satellite constellation,
was manufacturing satellites at the rate of

Launch of Russia’s Next-Generation Glonass-K Satellite Postponed

The launch of Russia’s next-generation out the launch", the source said. In early launched in February 2011, while the
Glonass-K navigation satellite, which August, another space industry source second one was launched in December
has been postponed several times since stated that the launch of the satellite 2014. There are currently 27 satellites
March, is planned for mid-October, a was planned for the end of the month. in the Russian Glonass constellation,
space industry revealed recently. "The The Glonass-K satellite, the third Russian 23 of them are operational. In February,
launch of Glonass-K satellite has been navigation satellite of the type, is planned spokesperson of Russian satellite maker
postponed until October. The preliminary to be launched using the Soyuz-2.1b ISS-Reshetnev said that nine next-
date of the launch is 17 October. There carrier rocket with the Fregat upper-stage generation Glonass-K satellites would be
are no any technical difficulties to carry booster. The first Glonass-K satellite was added to the constellation by 2022.

60 AUGUST 2020