SSL to lay off 200 after GEO sat downturn…meanwhile LEO comsat operator OneWeb gets FCC approval

by | Jun 26, 2017 | Satellites, Seradata News

The US-based commercial satellite manufacturer SSL, formerly known as Space Systems/Loral, has announced that due to a downturn in construction orders for satellites in geostationary orbit (SSL’s speciality), it would have to lay off 8 per cent of its workforce. Some 200 workers now face redundancy. The news came in the same week that start-up satellite operator OneWeb received Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval to operate its 720 LEO satellite constellation in the USA, which will offer broadband communications to mobile users. The FCC has indicated that it is willing to license other low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation operators.

Comment by David Todd: Currently LEO constellations are “flavour of the month” and as their orders have risen, so GEO satellite orders have been depressed. However, while LEO satellites do have signal delay advantages over GEO, they also have their downsides – lifespan, signal handover etc. As it is, there is much hubris about the prospects for LEO communications satellite constellations. If history repeats itself, as happened with the Iridium and Globalstar financial debacles of the late 1990s, then GEO (Geostationary Earth Orbit) operations will come back into vogue, along with those using MEO (Medium Earth Orbit), which require many less satellites for equivalent coverage.

Post Script: On 27 June production of the OneWeb constellation was formally started at Airbus DS’ factory in Toulouse. Meanwhile, workers were not the only ones to go at SSL. On 28 June SSL’s Canadian holding company MDA announced that John Celli had retired as CEO of SSL.

About Seradata

Seradata produce the renowned Seradata database. Trusted by over 100 of the world’s leading Space organisations, Seradata is a fully queryable database used for market analysis, failure/risk assessment, spectrum analysis and space situational awareness (SSA).

For more information go to https://www.seradata.com/product/

Related Articles

Starlink Group 5-5 is launched by Falcon 9

The Starlink Group 5-5 (56 satellites) was made by a Falcon 9v1.2FT Block 5 from Cape Canaveral, Floriday, USA, at Read more

Electron rocket launches Blacksky Global 19 and 21

At 0914 GMT on 24 March 2023, Rocket Lab successfully launched their Electron KS rocket (in reusable waterproofed trim to Read more

Russia launches Bars-M 4 electro-optical area surveillance satellite using Soyuz 2-1a

On 23 March 2023 at 0640 GMT a Soyuz 2-1a rocket successfully launched what is believed to be the Bars-M Read more

Relativity Space’s Terran 1 fails on maiden flight – but first stage works well

The maiden launch of the Terran 1 rocket built by Relativity Space suffered an ignition anomaly with its second stage Read more

Italian government gives Vega C vote of confidence with a three-launch order for its IRIDE constellation

Arianespace has won a contract for up to three Vega C launches for the IRIDE, the Italian government's Earth observation Read more

China launches four meteorology satellites to LEO, part of Tianmu-1 fleet

At 0909 GMT on 22 March, a Kuaizhou-1A rocket built by CASIC affiliate ExPace Technology Corp carried four meteorological microsatellites Read more

Falcon 9 makes two launches on 17 March: for Starlink Group 2-8 and SES-18 and SES-19 respectively…but recently launched Starlink Group 6-1 appears to be sinking

SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg, California, USA at 1926 GMT on 17 March 2023. The vehicle was Read more

Chinese Long March 3B/E launches earth observation satellite into orbit

China successfully launched a Chinese Long March 3B/E rocket carrying the a new geostationary Earth observation satellite, Gaofen-13 02. The Read more

Categories

Archives

Tags

nasaspacexecoreviewsissesaArianespacevideochina25virgin galacticfalcon 9ULARoscosmosDGAaviation weekaressoyuzIGTevaFalcon 9v1.2FT Block 5spacewalkBeidouawardsInternational Space StationspaceSatellite broadcastingBlue OriginrussiamoonStarlinkCargo Return VehicleresearchboeingmarsblogAirbus DSRocket LaborionOneWebISROimpacthyperbolamarsdelayjaxaspaceshiptwodemocratgoogle lunar prizerocketlunarhypertextobamaEutelsatlaunchVegatourismconstellationbarack obamafiguresSESnorthspaceflightnode 2fundedRaymond Lygothales alenia spaceIntelsat2009romeAtlas VExpress MD-2dassault aviationss2Elon MuskaviationLucy2008wk2Lockheed Martinukradiotestmissilesuborbitaldocking portexplorationsstlVirgin OrbitinternetChina Manned Space Engineeringsts-122Ariane 5 ECASLSmissile defensenewspapercotsgalileospace tourismflight2010Ariane 5Express AMU 1spaceportbuildspace stationaltairElectronshuttleProton Minternational astronautical congressNorthrop GrummanIntelsat 23Cosmosscaled compositesEuropean Space AgencyLauncherOnehanleybudgetrulesnew yorksoyuz 2-1aLong March 2D/2shenzhouAriane 6atvspace shuttleVietnamLong March 4CcongressMojaveboldenOrbital ATKiacGuiana Space Centercnesnew shepardLong March 2CUK Space AgencyksclawsSpace Systems/LoralprotonUS Air ForceILSInmarsatLong March 4BTalulah RileyApollodarpaeuSkylonAstriumlanderdragonbaseusaastronautpictureeventSSLfivelunar landerfalconSea LaunchWednesdayinterview50thSNCAprilVega CKuaizhou 1ASpace InsuranceTelesat7customeratlantisLong Marchlinksuccessorgriffin