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.
Roommates in Space
Enter the condosat model, where multiple customers split the rent on a satellite to save money and share the risk. ABS sees this as a key strategy to keep things affordable. “We’re working on developing a condosat approach in one or two cases,” Rigolle explained.
The condosat model is about bringing space access to more players. With governments and smaller operators joining the fray, ABS could become the go-to landlord for space real estate.
ABS is also trading in its old C- and Ku-band frequencies for Ka-band. It plans to replace its aging ABS-2 spacecraft at 75 degrees East with a shiny, new Ka-band-equipped satellite.
At 116.1 degrees East, ABS is seeking a partner to help launch another Ka-band project, basically a cosmic version of “you pay for the rocket, and I’ll bring the snacks.”
Rigolle admits it’s a work in progress. “Hopefully, we’ll talk more about it in six months to a year,” he said, which in corporate terms is like saying, “It’s complicated.”
With SpaceX Starlink aggressively expanding into government and enterprise services, ABS has had to get clever. ABS has seen some revenue erosion, but mission-critical customers, like those who can’t risk losing a signal mid-operation, remain loyal to ABS’ reliable services. And we know what we’re talking about.
Rigolle, is all about multi-orbit strategies, mixing geostationary (GEO), low Earth orbit (LEO), and MEO systems to cover all bases. “If we don’t offer it, customers will cobble it together themselves,” he warned, implying that nobody wants a Frankenstein satellite setup.
Rigolle thinks LEO operators might start buying up GEO companies, given how financially stretched some of them are. It’s a not-so-subtle way of saying, “Hey, Starlink, let’s talk partnerships before you buy someone else.”
Despite the challenges, Rigolle’s ABS is playing it smart, fast, and just a little cheeky. By embracing shared satellites, transitioning to Ka-band and multi-orbit solutions, the company is proving that size doesn’t matter, agility does. With a name like Rigolle leading the charge, ABS might just have the last laugh.
Who says space is all serious business? ABS is here to prove that a little wit and a lot of innovation go a long way.
