On December 29, 2025 Globalstar met with Arpan Sura, Senior Counsel to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Carr to discuss the companies pending request for U.S. market access for its third-generation mobile satellite system known as the C-3 System.
Spectrum battle
The Ex Parte Notice filed with the FCC provides an update on the status of the C-3 System. That system is a 48 satellite constellation with an additional 6 on-orbit spares that will be manufactured by MDA Space using the AURORA software-defined digital satellite design.
The update was important as Globalstar reaffirmed its plan for the constellation. This follows speculation at the end of October 2025 that suggested the company might sell itself to SpaceX. Globalstar has been exploring a potential sale of its business.
SpaceX which is making a serious play in the direct-to-device area is interested in acquiring or using Globalstar’s licensed spectrum. In the filing Globalstar reiterated to the Commission that Starlink, owned by SpaceX, should not be allowed to use its licensed spectrum.
MDA Space – the prime contractor
Globalstar is an important customer for MDA Space. In February 2025 Globastar signed a CAD $1.1 billion contract with MDA Space to “manufacture more than 50 MDA AURORA software-defined digital satellites” for the C-3 constellation.
The speculation that Globalstar might sell itself, and the news that SpaceX was a suitor, did get go unnoticed by the market and analysts covering MDA Space.
In its Q3 quarterly earning call with analysts on Nov. 14, 2025 following the Globalstar sale speculation, MDA Space CEO Mike Greenley addressed the issue saying “for us, with Globalstar, we’re actively involved in executing on our two contracts. We are making good progress on those two contracts as we’ve indicated. On our original contract we have nine satellites being completed and getting ready to be shipped out in early 2026 ready for launch. And in our second larger contract, we continue to execute well on those satellites. Moving forward, these satellites are important to Globalstar for their constellations, and we are actively engaged in getting them delivered.”
The first contract mentioned by Greenley is for 17 satellites that are being built to replenish the existing Globalstar constellation. Those satellites are scheduled for launch in 2026, possibly in Q2.
For now, it seems Globalstar is staying the course and the $1.1 billion contract signed by MDA Space continues as is.
C-3 constellation overview
Globalstar provided the following overview of the C-3 satellite constellation.
C-3 Constellation includes 54 total satellites
- 48 operational satellites (Walker configuration)
- 12 planes x 4 satellites each
- 6 spares on orbit
- Same frequencies, operational orbit and inclination as HIBLEO-4 & HIBLEO-X
Higher power beam forming capabilities on S-band downlink
• Dynamically formed beams at higher power concentrates power of satellites where users are located
Supporting Ground Infrastructure
- ~90 additional tracking antennas
- Deployed at ~35 ground station locations in ~25 countries and territories
- Each ground station covers several million square miles of the Earth’s surface
- Expanded Satellite Operations Control Center being constructed in Toulouse
French Licensed
- Application pending with ANFR for frequency assignments
- Application pending with Ministry for Economy and CNES for authorization to operate C-3 on orbit
New Canadian Earth station antennas
To support the new C-3 constellation Globalstar said it plans “approximately 90 new Earth station antennas at approximately 35 gateway earth station facilities located in at least 25 countries and territories around the world.”
Construction is ongoing for the new Earth station antennas including at the High River, Alberta and Smith Falls, Ontario locations. Both are expected to be completed in March and April 2026 respectively.
The company also highlighted their new Satellite Operations Control Center opened on March 17, 2025 at their Covington, Louisiana headquarters in support of the C-3 satellite constellation along with another Satellite Operations Control Center in Toulouse, France.