02 October 2024

What’s driving the competition between the US and China as the two superpowers race to send people back to the moon.

Seeking to counter China and Russia in space. . .we need to take a hard look at warfare in the orbital age.
Don’t get left behind.

That was the message from US and European military and government officials at last week’s Defence Space 2024 conference.

They gathered in London to lay their cards on the table about collaboration across the space sector and the threats that Western countries face from Russia and China.

Bloomberg News

4 hours ago

US, Allies Launch Spy Satellites, Alliances to Prevent a Space War - Bloomberg

Cyberattacks, GPS jammers and space debris from these competitors pose serious threats, US Space Command General Stephen Whiting said in a speech.

“Space is a team sport,” he told the audience. “The space commands of all of our nations must help our joint and combined forces be protected from these threats.”

One big video

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2024-09-18/why-there-s-a-new-race-to-the-moon

Bloomberg reporters Bruce Einhorn and Loren Grush look at what’s driving the competition between the US and China as the two superpowers race to send people back to the moon.

Space stock to watch: EchoStar

EchoStar’s announced sale of its Dish satellite TV unit to DirecTV should give the Englewood, Colorado-based company room to refocus on its wireless and satellite businesses.

Subsidiary Hughes Network Systems in March announced that its new Jupiter 3 geostationary satellite was offering speeds as high as 100 Mbps to customers in the US and seven other countries in North and South America.

New Focus

EchoStar's satellite business takes on a bigger role after Dish sale

Source: Bloomberg

While EchoStar faces stiff competition in wireless from bigger players, its satellite business is on “firmer footing after getting a much-needed capacity increase from the new Jupiter 3 satellite,” Bloomberg Intelligence analysts John Butler and Hunter Sacco wrote in a note published after the announcement.

The complex deal is far from certain, with EchoStar Chief Executive Officer Hamid Akhavan on a Monday call likening it “landing two to three 747s on the same runway at the same time without crashing.” — Bruce Einhorn

What we’re reading

Defense firm Anduril partners with satellite body supplier for 2025 space mission, Defense News reported.

The US faces stiff competition from China in satellite remote sensing, Space News reported.

China is ready with a lunar spacesuit in latest step towards 2030 moon landing, South China Morning Post reported.

In our orbit

Oct. 4: Scheduled second launch of ULA’s Vulcan rocket.

Oct. 4: Start of World Space Week, first established by the UN in 1999 and featuring space education and outreach events around the globe.

Talk to us

Please send us ideas, tips and questions to spacetips@bloomberg.net. As always, you can reach Bloomberg’s global business of space editor, Eric Johnson, at ejohnson453@bloomberg.net (or via Signal). If you don’t receive this newsletter, you should sign up here.