KDDI will partner with SpaceX on providing mobile supplemental coverage from space (SCS) service starting as early as 2024, the Japanese telco said Wednesday. It said the SCS service, using SpaceX's Starlink satellites and KDDI wireless spectrum, will start with SMS texting and eventually expand to voice and data services. KDDI said almost all existing smartphones on its network will be compatible with the new service since it will use the devices' existing radio services.

BIU has no right to assert control over or to claim it represents Spectrum Five, SF founder David Wilson said in docket 20-399 this week. Financier BIU claimed Wilson fraudulently dropped SF's complaint against Intelsat (see 2306280034). Wilson said that, as CEO and founder of SF, "the only person authorized to make these decisions was me." He denied any fraud or receiving compensation to drop the complaint. BIU counsel didn't comment Thursday.

Advanced Space's Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (Capstone) satellite has operated successfully for close to 10 months in orbit around the moon, Advanced blogged Wednesday. During that time, Capstone demonstrated spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation services that allow future spacecraft to determine their location relative to the moon without relying exclusively on tracking from Earth; and explored using one-way navigation through an onboard atomic clock, Advanced said.

Under a Globalstar-SpaceX launch services agreement, SpaceX will handle the 2025 launch of the first set Globalstar satellites intended for replacement and life extension of its constellation (see 2308030042), Globalstar said in a SEC filing Thursday. Cost of the launch is $64 million, with Apple -- which is partnering with Globalstar on mobile supplemental coverage from space service for its iPhones -- covering 95% of the capital expenditures for the new satellites, including the launch costs, it said.

Globalstar signed a perpetual licensing agreement with XCom Labs for exclusive access to some technologies and personnel, the Globalstar said Tuesday. The deal also sees XCom founder and CEO Paul Jacobs replace Dave Kagan, who's retiring, as Globastar CEO. Globalstar said the licensing agreement includes XComp, XCom’s commercially available coordinated multipoint radio system, and the company's peer-to-peer connectivity technologies that could have applications for cellular and satellite devices. Jacobs, who previously was Qualcomm CEO, said joining Globalstar's terrestrial spectrum and XCom's technology "creates a significant opportunity to deliver for private network customers with mission-critical needs."

Meeting with FCC Space and Wireless Bureau staffers, SpaceX supported using existing mobile service allocations, flexible-use policies and technical sharing rules for mobile supplemental coverage from space, said a docket 23-65 filing Monday. It said a framework using existing technical sharing rules and coordination also would protect other spectrum users from harmful interference "without the need to overbuild a command-and-control regulatory apparatus or mire the industry in decades of unnecessary proceedings."

Oppositions to a OneWeb reconsideration petition on the FCC's non-geostationary orbit spectrum sharing order are due Sept. 12, with replies to oppositions due Sept. 22, per a notice in Monday's Federal Register. The petition, filed last month, challenges the interference protection sunset provisions given first Ka-/Ku-band processing round applicants (see 2307210037).

Satellite-delivered broadband "offers particular promise," advocacy groups said, urging the U.S. to push at the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference for expanded spectrum access for low earth orbit constellations. In a letter Monday to the FCC, NTIA and State Department, the signatories said modernizing "outdated" ITU coexistence criteria would allow more-efficient and equitable access to shared spectrum. The signatories include the American Library Association, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, Center for Rural Strategies, Information Technology Industry Foundation, Open Technology Institute at New America, Public Knowledge and R Street Institute.

SpaceX's Starlink Group 6-11 mission launch Saturday marked a milestone 100th FAA licensed space operation of launches and reentries so far this fiscal year, the agency said Monday. It said more are to be added before the year ends Sept. 30. SpaceX said FY 2022 saw 74 FAA-licensed commercial space operations in total.

Loft Orbital Solutions hopes to launch a 10-satellite low earth orbit constellation, YAC-1, in launches in June and October 2024, it told the FCC Space Bureau in an application last week. The 10 satellites would host an earth observation system for Loft customer EarthDaily Analytics Corp., with Loft operating the constellation for EarthDaily, it said.