Open Cosmos seeks deadline extension for broadband constellation
TAMPA, Fla. - British small satellite specialist Open Cosmos is seeking more time to deploy its proposed sovereign broadband constellation for Europe after running into launch issues.
The company said Liechtenstein, which holds the Ka-band spectrum filings it is using for the network, has submitted an extension request to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for the 144 satellites tied to a June 10 deadline.
There "has been a Force Majeure situation, due to the removal from service of the PSLV launcher," an Open Cosmos spokesperson told SpaceNews, referring to the Indian rocket's grounding after a launch failure in January destroyed 16 unrelated spacecraft.
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The constellation is also subject to a second ITU deadline requiring another 144 satellites in low Earth orbit by Sept. 18. Together, the deadlines represent the 50% deployment milestone for the 576-satellite constellation, spread across two 3ECOM regulatory filings.
Under rules governed by the ITU, an arm of the United Nations, the number of satellites deployed by the halfway milestone typically determines the maximum size of the constellation that is permitted to retain priority spectrum rights.
The 100% deployment milestones for the two filings come two years later: June 10, 2028, and Sept. 18, 2028, respectively.
"Open Cosmos has successfully built satellites which are now ready for the next phase of the ConnectedCosmos constellation," the spokesperson continued.
"Production across our 24/7 operational facilities in the U.K., Barcelona, Portugal, and Greece continues at pace, maintaining our position as Europe's highest-volume satellite manufacturer."
The company provided a picture showing multiple satellites that it said are ready for launch integration.
"We remain resolute in our mission to deliver Europe's most advanced sovereign infrastructure, uniquely integrating specialist data systems, remote sensing and resilient communications," Open Cosmos said.
Using optical inter-satellite links, the constellation is designed to combine broadband and connectivity for Internet of Things (IoT) devices with Earth observation services for near-real-time data delivery.
Liechtenstein's telecoms regulator declined to comment because the ITU had not yet made the extension request public.
The 3ECOM filings were previously assigned to Germany-based Rivada Space Networks, which had planned to use them for its proposed Outernet broadband network.
However, Liechtenstein rescinded the licenses in 2024 following a dispute over a required performance bond. The country's telecoms regulator awarded the licenses earlier this year to Open Cosmos, which launched two prototype satellites with Rocket Lab in January to activate them.
Meanwhile, Rivada has shifted focus to a separate German filing called Outernet-1, also covering 576 satellites, with deployment milestones extending into the 2030s.
In 2023, the ITU granted Rivada a waiver for an earlier deadline to deploy 10% of the constellation under the 3ECOM filings, after reviewing the funding, manufacturing and launch contracts it had in place.
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