Space insurance News

Another Satellite Breakup Adds to Rising Problem of Space Junk

A large communications satellite has broken up in orbit, affecting users in Europe, Central Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia, and adding to the growing swarm of space junk clouding our planet’s neighborhood. The Intelsat 33e satellite provided broadband …

How Brexit Hobbled Britain’s Race to Space

Britain’s push to become a “space superpower” is being undermined by political disarray and weak domestic investment, while showing how the nation needs international partners more than ever post-Brexit. In a case study of UK industrial strategy after leaving the …

From Ukraine to Taiwan, Satellite Firms Wrangle With Geopolitics in Space

If China attempts to cut Taiwan off from the world by severing more than a dozen undersea cables that connect it to the internet, large numbers of fast-moving low Earth orbit satellites will be critical to maintaining communications. In June, …

Billion-Dollar Satellite Risks Upending Space Insurance

Viasat Inc. has more than $1 billion of orbiting satellites in trouble, and space insurers are girding for market-rattling claims. The company’s roughly $1 billion ViaSat-3 Americas satellite, central to expanding its fixed-broadband coverage and fending off rivals including Elon …

Britain’s Satellite Launch Fails, but Virgin Orbit Expected to Try Again

NEWQUAY, England – Britain’s hopes of becoming a prime launch site for small satellites remain intact despite the failure of what would have been the first launch into orbit from western Europe, business minister Grant Shapps said on Tuesday. Hours …

Investigators Probe Failure of Italy’s Vega C Rocket; Satellite Insurers Expect Profit Hit

An investigation is being launched after the latest version of Italy’s Vega C rocket failed on its second mission, destroying two Earth-imaging satellites and further complicating Europe’s access to space on top of the war in Ukraine. Launch firm Arianespace …

Russia’s Threat to ‘Strike’ Western Satellites Tests Laws of War in Space

A Russian official’s threat this week to “strike” Western satellites aiding Ukraine highlights an untested area of international law, raising concerns among space lawyers and industry executives about the safety of objects in orbit. “Quasi-civilian infrastructure may be a legitimate …

SpaceX Satellites Falling Out of Orbit After Being Hit by Solar Storm

SpaceX’s newest fleet of satellites is tumbling out of orbit after being struck by a solar storm. Up to 40 of the 49 small satellites launched last week have either reentered the atmosphere and burned up, or are on the …

NASA Concerned About SpaceX Satellite Deployment Plan

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) raised concerns about SpaceX’s plan to deploy about 30,000 satellites for its Starlink, as have some major companies. Elon Musk’s SpaceX previously received authorization for about 12,000 satellites to offer broadband internet and …

Russia Missile Test Creates New Belt of Space Junk, Escalating Threat to Satellites

The Russian missile test that shattered a dead satellite this week highlights a growing threat of space debris just as companies such as SpaceX and Boeing Co. make plans to launch as many as 65,000 commercial spacecraft into orbit in …