Satellite Wars: Eutelsat Expands, Aerospacelab Scores Big, and SpaceX Dominates

The latest developments in satellite technology show Eutelsat's plan for expanding its OneWeb network, Aerospacelab winning a major contract for EU's IRIS² network, and UK's growing reliance on SpaceX for military communications. Meanwhile, IBM and NASA introduce a new AI model to aid lunar exploration.

On Thursday, satellite provider Eutelsat announced plans to expand its OneWeb network by 2034, after signing a €1 billion deal with Airbus to add 229 low Earth orbit satellites. This expansion joins previous orders for 440 satellites, set for delivery in late 2024 and 2025.

Belgium's Aerospacelab secured a €2.4 billion contract to construct 264 satellites for the EU's IRIS² network. This network promises secure communication capabilities for governments and commercial entities by 2030, making Aerospacelab the largest contributor with 76% of the satellite production order.

With an investment in cutting-edge AI, IBM and NASA debuted a model to analyze historical lunar data. Trained on comprehensive datasets from NASA missions, the open-source tool aims to further support sustainable human activities on the Moon.