spacetoday.net: space news from around the webin association with SpaceNews


Teledesic files to surrender spectrum
Posted: Tue, Jul 15, 2003, 9:24 PM ET (0124 GMT)
Teledesic satellite illustration Teledesic, a satellite communications company that once planned a constellation of nearly 1,000 satellites, filed a motion with the Federal Communications Commission to surrender its spectrum, a sign that the company had given up on its plans, Space News reported in its print edition this week. Teledesic, founded in 1991, originally planned to launch 840 satellites to provide broadband communications services worldwide. However, despite the backing of people such as Craig McCaw and Bill Gates, the company ran into financial difficulties and reduced the size of its constellation, first to 288 satellites and eventually to 30. Teledesic signed a contract with Alenia Spazio last January to start construction of the first two satellites, but suspended that contract in September. Teledesic's offer to return the spectrum it won from the FCC in the late 1990s was not prompted by any request by the FCC but instead by the realization that the company would not be able to build its satellites in time to meet the milestones in its license. Space News reported that the FCC has taken no action on Teledesic's request, and could elect to simply let Teledesic's license expire.
<<previous article   next article>>
news in brief
Starship explodes during preparations for static-fire test
Posted: Sun, Jun 22 6:52 AM ET (1052 GMT)

French government leads investment in Eutelsat
Posted: Sat, Jun 21 8:38 AM ET (1238 GMT)

NASA further delays Ax-4 launch
Posted: Sat, Jun 21 8:34 AM ET (1234 GMT)

news links
Tuesday, July 1
Move over Starlink, here comes Kuiper
Gulf News — 4:58 am ET (0858 GMT)
USSF Seeks Industry Ideas For Space-Based Interceptors
Aviation Week — 4:57 am ET (0857 GMT)
Don’t forget about Iran’s space program
POLITICO — 4:54 am ET (0854 GMT)
EU Space Act is ‘orbital equivalent of GDPR’, says lawyer
Luxembourg Times — 4:53 am ET (0853 GMT)
Poland’s second ever astronaut is safe in space
Euro Weekly News — 4:49 am ET (0849 GMT)


about spacetoday.net   ·   info@spacetoday.net   ·   mailing list