TL;DR

ABS is countering plunging wholesale capacity rates and stubbornly high build costs by hosting multiple customers on single satellites, shifting its 75° E and 116.1° E slots to Ka-band payloads, and layering GEO, MEO and LEO services.

That agility and cost-sharing focus aims to keep mission-critical clients onboard even as new entrants like Starlink erode traditional revenues.

ABS: Adapting, Innovating, and Having the Last Laugh in Space

The satellite industry is no cakewalk these days. Prices for satellite capacity keep nosediving while manufacturing costs stubbornly hover around the same sky-high levels. But for ABS – Agility Beyond Space CEO Mark Rigolle, it’s no tragedy. Instead, ABS is doubling down on agility, innovation, and some solid gallows humor to navigate the turbulence.

“We live in interesting times,” Rigolle quipped in an interview, possibly while reading market reports over a stiff drink. He didn’t sugarcoat the challenges, admitting that just replacing satellites is now as economically thrilling as filling your car with premium gas. But ABS isn’t about to throw in the yellow space towel.

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