Major drama in the inflght connectivity world this afternoon as joint venture partners Eutelsat and Viasat are splitting on a major project. Eutelsat is launching KONNECT, its own massive increase in Ka-band capacity in 2021 and has new partners to work with on that deal. Oh, and it is bailing on its potential partnership for the ViaSat-3's EMEA coverage.
SES
PR: Gogo first with SES-15 inflight connectivity
Gogo is the first inflight connectivity provider to pass data on the SES-15 Ku-band satellite. That’s great news for passengers, and it should get even better soon as others join that party.
A mostly successful launch for SES, Yahsat, Arianespace
SES and Yahsat have more capacity in the sky thanks to an Arianespace launch last night. The launch suffered from anomalies after the second stage ignition and the satellites were not inserted where initially expected, though both companies report control of their assets.
Air Canada’s new radome suggests shifting inflight connectivity strategy
Iridium-4 to launch on an old friend
Choosing to launch on a flight-proven SpaceX rocket earns Iridium a (mostly useless) mark on history. The company will be the first to launch multiple times on the same rocket.