The International Telecommunication Union has extended the deployment milestone for the 3ECOM-1 satellite filing to June 30, 2027, while declining an extension for 3ECOM-3. The decisions, published November 3, 2026, concern Liechtenstein filings associated with Open Cosmos’s communications network plans.
The ITU’s published decision summary also limits the modified total for 3ECOM-1 to 52 satellites. The Radio Regulations Board accepted the launch-disruption circumstances supporting that filing’s extension.
For 3ECOM-3, the board addressed Liechtenstein’s proposal to count the same 24 satellites simultaneously toward the second deployment milestone of both systems. It determined that the applicable rules did not permit simultaneous counting for that purpose and declined the extension.
The distinction concerns deployment milestones attached to particular satellite-system filings. The decision specifies how satellites may count toward those milestones, rather than simply treating the operator’s announced fleet as one undifferentiated constellation.
The ConnectedCosmos Plan
Open Cosmos had announced its ConnectedCosmos deployment plan on October 5. That plan described a 192-satellite core constellation, more than 96 satellites by the end of 2028, and full global deployment in 2030.
The proposed network combines communications services with the movement of Earth observation data. Optical links between satellites are intended to transfer information through the constellation, including imagery and other large datasets.
Those links connect spacecraft to one another. Data can travel through the satellite network before reaching a suitable connection to the ground, allowing the communications architecture to support observations collected in orbit as well as user traffic.
Open Cosmos identifies government, institutional, and commercial customers for ConnectedCosmos. Its announced architecture connects the communications network with the company’s OpenConstellation and DataCosmos activities. New Space Economy’s coverage of ConnectedCosmos satellite communications describes that combined service approach.
The October deployment figures remain the company’s announced plan. The subsequent ITU decision establishes a June 2027 milestone extension and a 52-satellite ceiling for the specific 3ECOM-1 filing, alongside the separate denial concerning 3ECOM-3.
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