2023 (so far) reaches decade+ low in GEO satellite orders

4/18/2023 - Written By Caleb Henry

So far, 2023 is shaping up to be an abysmal year for GEO satellite orders. Maxar's April 18th contract announcement with DISH for a TV broadcast satellite is the first GEO satellite order of 2023, and the longest it has taken for the global industry to notch a commercial GEO order in over a decade. Quilty Space data shows an average of 3.4 commercial GEO orders were placed by mid-April from 2013-2022. Commercial satellite operators were showing renewed interest in GEO satellites thanks to the development of digital payloads that can responsively allocate capacity, but the progress of LEO constellations last year -- particularly Starlink and Kuiper -- appears to be having a chilling effect on the market. This same phenomenon occurred in 2017, when cumulative commercial GEO orders dropped into the single digits a year after OneWeb raised $1.2 billion and Telesat ordered two prototype smallsats. Barring a surprise upswing in orders, GEO satellite manufacturers will have to brace for a slow year.

SOURCE: https://www.maxar.com/press-releases/dish-tv-adding-to-fleet-with-new-maxar-satellite-order