Page 3 - Satellite

Intelsat gets govt nod for direct satellite broadcast services in India

US-based Intelsat has become one of the first foreign satellite operators to get approval from the Indian government to provide direct satellite coverage to domestic media organisations, a move that would allow the company to expand operations in the region. Following the authorisation from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), Intelsat won new business from three of India's largest media companies, the US company said in a statement here. The IN-SPACe approval authorises Intelsat to operate four geostationary satellites --? IS-17, IS-20, IS-36, and IS-39 --? offering C-band coverage across India. These satellites will support content delivery and distribution both within the country and beyond its borders. "This approval represents a significant step forward in Intelsat's contribution to India's space commerce sector, a source of great national pride," said Gaurav Kharod, Regional Vice President for Asia Pacific at Intelsat. "Our extensive satell

States' race for space investment may help sector hit $44 bn by 2033

This follows the opening up of space to private participatio­n in June 2020, the Indian Spa­ce Policy of 2023, and a luc­­r­ative foreign direct investment policy of February 2024

Vodafone Idea must stop seeking waivers from government and courts

Vi must urgently raise capital

PierSight gains strategic investors to grow satellite maritime surveillance

Backed by Sustainable Ocean Alliance and CE-Ventures, PierSight aims to scale its SAR satellite constellation, boost ocean intelligence, and grow its engineering team

India will see fastest satcom rollout, says Jyotiraditya Scindia

Minister says India's satcom market will grow from $2.3 billion to $20 billion by 2028 as Starlink awaits final clearance and QoS becomes key focus for telcos

Satcom guidelines: DoT looks to finalise key technical conditions

TRAI leaves spectrum sharing and coordination distance norms to DoT as satellite operators await clarity before launching services using C, Ku and Ka bands

From satellites to navigation, India's plan to go deep into space

The country aims to grow its space economy from $8.4 billion in 2022 to $44 billion by 2033, according to a report by Ficci and EY

Mock drills held at Sriharikota Space Centre and Tirupati airport

Mock drills were carried out at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR) in Sriharikota and Tirupati Airport in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday, in view of the India-Pakistan military conflict. From 9:30 am to 11:30 am, multiple security teams undertook the mock drill at SHAR, an ISRO rocket-launching facility in Andhra Pradesh. The exercise was aimed at evaluating the preparedness, coordination, and response time of security forces in the event of a potential threat, said an official press release. Under the supervision of CISF DIG Sanjay Kumar, various security and emergency units such as the CISF Quick Response Team (70 personnel), CISF Bomb Disposal Team, CISF Fire Department, and medical staff participated in the drill. A three-member Intelligence Bureau (IB) team, two-member marine police team and local police also partook in the drill, which demonstrated effective communication and swift action for the success of the exercise. Similarly, a comprehensive mock drill was conducted at Tiru

Starlink requires IN-SPACe nod to launch satellite communication services

Firm needs all approvals before Trai brings guidelines

Govt issues Letter of Intent to Starlink for satellite internet rollout

The government has issued Letter of Intent to Starlink for satcom services, sources said on Wednesday. Starlink is a satellite internet service developed by SpaceX -- the American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation company founded in 2002 by world's richest man Elon Musk. It provides high-speed, low-latency broadband internet worldwide using satellite technology. Sources told PTI that the Department of Telecom (DoT) has now issued Letter of Intent to Starlink. Prior to this, the government had issued licences to Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite Communications. Unlike conventional satellite services that rely on distant geostationary satellites, Starlink utilises the world's largest low earth orbit or LEO constellation (550 km above earth). This constellation of LEO satellites (7,000 now but eventually set to grow to over 40,000) and its mesh delivers broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, and video calls.

India to launch 52 spy satellites over next five years: INSPACe chairman

India will put in orbit a constellation of 52 satellites over the next five years to step up space-based surveillance capabilities, Pawan Kumar Goenka, chairman, Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) said on Wednesday. He said the move will see strong participation from the private sector. Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of the Global Space Exploration Conference 2025 here, Goenka said, "We have fairly strong capabilities already. It is just that it needs constant enhancement." He said the plan is intended at increasing surveillance capabilities of the defence sector. "So far, this was primarily done by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation). We will bring in the private sector as we move forward," he said. The satellites will help the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force track enemy movements, monitor borders, and improve real-time coordination during military operations. "The private sector will deliver half of the 52 satellites, while the rest will

'Indian rockets carry more than payloads': PM Modi on space exploration

PM Modi addressed the Global Conference on Space Exploration 2025 and stated that by 2035, India will have its own 'Bharatiya Antariksha Station'

Drones can provide secure coverage compared to satellites: COAI DG

High altitude platforms like solar power drones, balloons, airships, etc, can provide secure and flexible coverage at lower cost compared to satellites, a senior official of telecom industry body COAI said. Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) Director General S P Kochhar said countries like the US, Japan, the UK, and companies like Airbus (Zephyr) and SoftBank are investing heavily in HAPS technologies and India should start working on regulatory framework for HAPS operations, spectrum allocation and airspace management. Kochhar's remarks come at a time when COAI key members Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio have joined hands with Elon Musk-led Starlink for satellite services after initially opposing and obstructing its bid to enter the India market. Starlink is yet to get government's approval to start services in India pending security clearance. "The main purpose of HAPS is similar to satellites, but with the advantage of being able to be deployed rapidly and at a lower

IN-SPACe invites private companies to develop satellite-bus platforms

As part of this initiative, IN-SPACe will support the realisation of satellite bus platforms through a two-phase approach

Indian market open to entry of more satcom firms: Scindia on Musk's visit

Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday threw his weight behind having more players in satellite internet space, saying the service was needed particularly in the rural and underserved areas of the vast market that is India. The government has already granted licences to firms backed by billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Bharti Mittal to offer satellite internet services, and Scindia indicated more may be granted if players meet security and regulatory norms. The minister's statement is a positive one for Elon Musk's Starlink that has aspirations to operate in the world's most populous nation. Starlink, which had been vying for an India licence for sometime now, last month signed pacts with Ambani's Reliance Jio and Mittal's Bharti Airtel -- which together control more than 70 per cent of the country's telecom market -- to bring the US satellite internet giant's services to India. Citing the licences granted to Bharti Group-backed Eutelsat OneWeb and Jio Satellite ...

No decision yet on rollout of satellite-based tolling from May 1: MoRTH

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) on Friday clarified that no decision has been taken on the nationwide implementation of satellite-based tolling from May 1. The ministry's response came after some sections of the media reported that a satellite-based tolling system would be launched from May 1, 2025 and will replace the existing FASTag-based toll collection system. In a statement, the ministry said that to enable seamless, barrier-free movement of vehicles through toll plazas and reduce travel time, an Automatic Number Plate Recognition(ANPR)-FASTag-based barrier-less tolling system' will be implemented at selected toll plazas. According to the statement, the advanced tolling system will combine ANPR technology, that will identify vehicles by reading their number plates, and the existing FASTag system' that uses Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) for toll deduction. Under this, vehicles will be charged based on their identification through high performance ANP

Satellite internet: Opportunities and challenges in Starlink's India outing

Despite the promise of wide coverage, there is the issue of pricing. Airtel and Jio could help there

Amazon to rival Starlink with its own satellite constellation: Details

Amazon has said that it will begin offering high-speed and low-latency internet services by the end of this year

Nasa's SWOT satellite unveils most detailed ocean floor map yet: Watch

More precise maps created using data from the SWOT mission can enhance underwater navigation and provide deeper insights into the movement of heat and marine life across the world's oceans

Pixxel commissions three hyperspectral satellites, releases first images

Bengaluru-based start-up Pixxel on Tuesday said it has commissioned three Firefly satellites and released the world's highest resolution hyper-spectral images captured by the constellation. The start-up released the first images of the Ganga, Saloum River Delta of Senegal and the Sundarbans, revealing in greater detail the health of the respective regions across more than 150 hyper-spectral bands. Pixxel launched three Firefly satellites onboard SpaceX's Transporter-12 mission in January this year. It plans to launch three more satellites by the middle of this year. "We're proud to unveil these pioneering images from Firefly, each pixel a vital clue in our quest to decode the Earth's complexities," said Awais Ahmed, the founder and CEO of Pixxel. The image of the Ganga, captured by Firefly-3 satellite, shows the river's braided channels, floodplains and surrounding farmland, revealing subtle variations in soil moisture and vegetation health which are critical for farmers and water