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Arianespace reiterates readiness to support mobile satellite services industry
MUMBAI: Arianespace has reiterated its commitment to supporting the future evolution of the mobile satellite services (MSS) industry, offering reliable access to space on its heavy-lift Ariane 5 and medium-weight Soyuz launch vehicles. At the Mobile Satellite 2007 conference in London, Arianespace CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall said the increase of Ariane 5 mission capacity to eight launches annually by 2009 will provide significant payload launch opportunities for MSS satellites of various sizes. Ariane 5 is operated from Europe‘s Spaceport in French Guiana, with six missions planned in 2007 and seven for 2008. |
Le Gall says, “This increase in production capability – coupled with the available performance of the Ariane 5 at about 10 tons and its 5-meter fairing – makes Ariane 5 the vehicle of choice for MSS satellites with their large antennas and high masses. “On the lower end of the mass range between 5,500 kg. and 6,000 kg., the MSS satellites remain compatible with our dual launch offering on Ariane 5, hence providing our customers twice the launch opportunities and significant cost savings.” |
For smaller MSS satellites, Arianespace also offers launch services with the Soyuz vehicle, operated by its Starsem affiliate. Starsem missions currently are performed from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and this workhorse medium-lift vehicle will join Ariane 5 in service from the Spaceport in French Guiana. Le Gall noted that Arianespace‘s involvement with the mobile satellite services industry started in December 1981 with the launch of the first mobile satellite – Marecs-A for Inmarsat, and has continued successfully through the years with many Ariane missions performed for Inmarsat, as well as six Soyuz flights for Globalstar. “Our future involvement in the MSS industry will be no different; last year, we signed new agreements to launch the TerreStar-1 spacecraft and two further launches for Globalstar. These contracts continue our long and fruitful partnership with the MSS sector. I thank both TerreStar and Globalstar for their confidence, and look forward to follow-on TerreStar satellites and Globalstar 2.” Le Gall also raised a red flag about MSS satellites that are not compatible with the Ariane 5‘s dual launch capability. These spacecraft are not equipped with the necessary systems to perform the North/South station-keeping maneuvers that keep them positioned in the equatorial plane in their inclined orbits. Without such ability to perform the station-keeping maneuvers, the spacecraft need to be launched into a specific orbit and inclination – making them incompatible with the Ariane 5‘s standard dual launch orbital parameters. “For a small additional increase in cost and mass, these satellites can be made compatible with the dual launch, providing MSS operators the full flexibility and availability of Ariane 5 to support their launch and avoid any delays in the deployment of their systems,” Le Gall said. He added that compatibility with Ariane 5 is not only important from an operational point of view, but also is relevant from the financial perspective. “As some mobile satellite ventures are highly leveraged, the financial community has to pay greater attention to the deployment of these systems and wants to be sure it can rely on the leader of the industry, Arianespace, for the launch of these satellites,” Le Gall stated. Le Gall pledged the support of Arianespace‘s technical teams – which are available to address this issue with MSS operators and the satellite manufacturers, and to highlight the benefits of restoring such dual launch capability for these spacecraft. He noted that Inmarsat‘s satellites have always carried the capability of North/South station keeping, and thus have always retained complete compatibility with Ariane. |
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With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
