Bankrupt OneWeb seeks license for 48,000 satellites, even more than SpaceX
SpaceX and OneWeb have asked for US permission to launch tens of thousands of additional satellites into low Earth orbit.
SpaceX's application to launch 30,000 satellites—in addition to the nearly 12,000 it already has permission for—is consistent with SpaceX's previously announced plans for Starlink.
OneWeb's application to launch nearly 48,000 satellites is surprising because the satellite-broadband company filed for bankruptcy in March. OneWeb is highly unlikely to launch a significant percentage of these satellites under its current structure, as the company reportedly "axed most of its staff" when it filed for bankruptcy and says it intends to use bankruptcy proceedings "to pursue a sale of its business in order to maximize the value of the company." Getting FCC approval to launch more satellites could improve the value of OneWeb's assets and give more options to whoever buys the company.
Previously:
SpaceX Approved to Deploy 1 Million U.S. Starlink Terminals; OneWeb Reportedly Considers Bankruptcy
OneWeb Goes Bankrupt, Lays Off Staff, Will Sell Satellite-Broadband Business
(Score: 3, Interesting) by takyon on Thursday May 28 2020, @03:22PM (2 children)
FCC could squash it, knowing the reason.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 28 2020, @03:39PM (1 child)
Not if Pai's brother's part of the buying group.
(Score: 2) by deimtee on Friday May 29 2020, @04:58AM
You mean selling group. If he was part of the buying group he would wait until after purchase before inflating its value.
One job constant is that good employers have low turnover, so opportunities to join good employers are relatively rare.