QUILTY QUICKTAKES
Quilty QuickTakes provide short-form analysis on the latest developments in the space sector as they unfold.
Click on any QuickTake below to enjoy these complimentary, five-minute reads.
The perils of going public too early
During the heyday of the 2020-2022 SPAC investment bubble, more than a dozen space companies filed to go public, ranging from established players like Planet and Spire to early-stage, pre-revenue startups.
OneWeb: New Ally in Multiorbit Comeback
It’s been a pretty miserable decade if you’re a GEO operator. The spectrum skirmishes over Ku and Ka-bands kicked things off, followed by a relentless arms race to launch increasingly more powerful HTS satellites.
GEO Satellite Manufacturing Death Spiral?
If the GEO satcom industry is to survive, GEO satellite manufacturers will need to up their game and reverse a troubling trend of ever-longer time to bring new GEO capacity online.
A New Benchmark for Launch Vehicle Robustness
A New Benchmark for Launch Vehicle Robustness
SDA needs a spiral development plan for user terminals
SDA needs a spiral development plan for user terminals
An Airbus-TAS Space Merger: good, bad, or none of the above?
Press leaks on M&A discussions typically aren’t helpful (remember EchoStar’s attempt at buying Inmarsat?), but there was probably no good way to hide the fact that Airbus and Thales Alenia Space (TAS) are in early discussions about a potential merger of their space businesses.
What the Planet Layoffs Say about the State of Earth Observation
In June, Earth Observation (EO) company Planet announced a 17% workforce reduction, shedding around 180 employees in the company’s second round of layoffs in just over a year.
Broader Implications of Airbus’ Struggling Space Business
Last week, Airbus announced it was taking a €900 million charge in its Space Systems business.
A change in the winds of European defense spending
Quilty’s takeaways from World Space Business Week
No slowdown in Falcon 9 Starlink launches in 2025
A change in the winds of European defense spending
Rocket Lab, Synspective and the art of the multi-launch deal
Rocket Lab, Synspective and the art of the multi-launch deal
Telesat Lightspeed’s supply chain is becoming real
Telesat Lightspeed’s supply chain is becoming real
Why Starlink’s foray into Indonesia is so important
Why Starlink’s foray into Indonesia is so important
DoD’s ULA Dilemma
What Quilty Space identified as a risk for Amazon’s Project Kuiper two years ago is now a concern the U.S. military shares.
VHR Imagery Coming into Focus with Maxar’s Legion Launch
Very high-resolution (VHR) satellite imagery, defined as 50cm or better resolution, has historically been a rare and prized resource.
Will pLEO become a nation-state obsession?
In years past, small countries often financed geostationary satellites under the auspices of national sovereignty.
DIU got a bucket of cash. Now what?
In a year marked by budget atrophy at NASA, NOAA-OSC, and the Space Force, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) was a notable outlier.
Quilty QuickTake’s cover earth observation, satcom, space hardware, and government & defense. Register here for email notifications on sector-specific QuickTakes or all to stay up to date.
