Satellite Operators to Capture Just 4% of $20 Billion BEAD Broadband Funds – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-12-05 00:00
Fiber optics has secured approximately 86% of the funding. The lopsided allocation stems from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) definition of “reliable broadband” Regulators have argued that while Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites offer speed, fiber provides a more “future-proof” investment.
Isar Aerospace Selected by ESA to Launch ‘Syndeo-3’ Demonstration Mission – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-12-05 00:00
Isar Aerospace has signed a launch services contract with the European Space Agency. The Syndeo-3 mission will launch aboard Isar’s Spectrum rocket from Andøya Spaceport in Norway. The contract falls under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 In-Orbit Demonstration and In-Orbit Validation (IOD/IOV) programme.
Startical Advances Space-Based ATM – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-12-05 00:00
Startical announced the completion of the Critical Design Review (CDR) for its operational “Echo” constellation. The project is proceeding under the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) allocation for the aeronautical mobile-satellite (R) service. Europe, via the Startical (Indra/Enaire) joint venture, is pursuing a “Sovereign Infrastructure” model.
Victoria Coleman to Lead Strategic Vision for 36-Acre Berkeley Space Center at NASA Ames – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-12-05 00:00
The Berkeley Space Center is a massive public-private innovation hub slated for NASA’s Ames Research Center. Victoria Coleman, the project’s associate provost and former chief scientist of the U.S. Air Force, will headline a key session at the SmallSat Symposium. She will outline how the 36-acre campus will accelerate the commercialization of defense and space technologies.
$37M Contract to University of Alabama for Artemis ‘Lunar Freezer’ Payload – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-12-05 00:00
NASA has selected the University of Alabama at Birmingham to develop and manage the Lunar Freezer System. The contract, which commences on December 4, 2025, includes a 66-month base period with options that could extend the partnership through June 3, 2033. UAB has long served as the prime contractor for the International Space Station’s cold chain.