Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
SpaceX To Launch Apple’s $1.5 Billion Mobile Service Satellites
Apple Mobile Service Satellites: SpaceX has been verified as the launch provider for Apple’s $1.5 billion mobile service satellite initiative in partnership with Globalstar.
The satellites, part of the Extended MSS Network, are set to launch between April and September 2025.
Apple Mobile Service Satellites
CEO Tim Cook’s game-changing decision to ramp up Apple’s stake in Globalstar, through SpaceX, has the potential to redefine global connectivity.
This strategic partnership could bring iPhones online from the world’s most isolated regions, expanding Apple’s reach and influence far beyond traditional cell networks.
This could potentially allow Apple to compete (even if indirectly) with the likes of AST, SpaceMobile, Elon Musk’s Starlink, and other satellite constellations like OneWeb and Kuiper in the battle for global connectivity.
The deal will use SpaceX’s rockets to launch the newly provided satellites.
Also Read: SpaceX Pushes for Rule Changes, Aims to Greatly Increase Starlink’s Capacity
SpaceX To Launch Apple Mobile Service Satellites
Apple’s new deal with Globalstar is dubbed as an Updated Services Agreement, and the latter’s latest Form 10-Q SEC filing shares details about the launch services provider for the Extended MSS Network.
In the shares details, Globalstar reveals that through “the Updated Services Agreement, the Company entered into a launch services agreement with SpaceX for the new satellites that will be procured for the Extended MSS Network.”
It adds that the payment from Apple includes “fees tied to the cost of the Extended MSS Network, fees for providing additional related services, fees tied to expenses incurred for the provision of such services, and performance bonuses,” with a portion of the payments “subject to the satisfaction of certain licensing, service levels, and milestone achievements.”
Globalstar entered into a deal with SpaceX in 2023 to launch its upgraded satellites in 2025.
The firm has incurred $22.6 million in costs as part of its SpaceX agreement. The launch window for the new satellites opens in April 2025 and extends to September, outlines Globalstar.
These satellites will work with Apple’s satellite features for the iPhone, and they will become part of a growing low Earth orbit (LEO) network of satellite-based smartphone connectivity.
SpaceX has established a strong foothold in this industry, and it regularly launches Starlink direct-to-cell satellites with its Starlink launches.
Interact with us via our social media platforms:
Facebook: Silicon Africa.
Instagram: Siliconafricatech.
Twitter: @siliconafrite.
