v3.25.1
PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2025
PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS  
PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS

NOTE 6.    PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment consisted of the following:

    

    

As of

March 31, 

December 31, 

Depreciable Life

    

2025

    

2024

    

(In years)

(In thousands)

Equipment leased to customers

2

-

4

$

908,467

$

865,003

Satellites

5

-

15

 

1,213,077

 

1,210,437

Satellites acquired under finance lease agreements

15

351,548

344,972

Furniture, fixtures, equipment and other

1

-

12

 

687,521

 

682,614

Software and computer equipment

1

-

5

307,140

300,255

Buildings and improvements

1

-

30

 

130,816

 

129,779

Land

-

13,511

13,460

Construction in progress

-

 

 

6,995

 

7,980

Total property and equipment

3,619,075

3,554,500

Accumulated depreciation

 

 

(2,559,563)

 

(2,457,310)

Property and equipment, net (1)

$

1,059,512

$

1,097,190

(1)As of March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, there were no refunds and other receipts of purchases of property and equipment

Depreciation and amortization expense consisted of the following:

    

For the Three Months Ended March 31, 

    

    

2025

2024

    

(In thousands)

Equipment leased to customers

$

27,148

$

28,069

Satellites

23,322

26,899

Buildings, furniture, fixtures, equipment and other

16,856

22,885

Software and computer equipment

6,920

6,602

Intangible assets and other amortization expense

9,555

9,327

Total depreciation and amortization

$

83,801

$

93,782

Cost of sales and operating expense categories included in our accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss) do not include depreciation and amortization expense related to satellites, equipment leased to customers, and amortization of development costs of externally marketed software.

Satellites

As of March 31, 2025, our satellite fleet consisted of eight satellites in geosynchronous orbit, approximately 22,300 miles above the equator, four of which we own and depreciate over their estimated useful life. We also lease four satellites, three of which are accounted for as finance leases and are depreciated over their economic life and one of which we lease from EchoStar which is accounted for as an operating lease.

As of March 31, 2025, our satellite fleet consisted of the following:

    

    

Degree Orbital

    

Lease

 Location

Termination

Satellites

    

Launch Date

    

(Longitude)

    

Date

Owned:

 

  

 

  

 

EchoStar XVII

 

July 2012

 

107 W

 

N/A

EchoStar XIX

 

December 2016

 

97.1 W

 

N/A

Al Yah 3 ("AY3")

 

January 2018

 

20 W

 

N/A

EchoStar IX

 

August 2003

 

121 W

 

N/A

Finance leases:

 

  

 

  

 

Eutelsat 65 West A

 

March 2016

 

65 W

 

July 2031

Telesat T19V

 

July 2018

 

63 W

 

August 2033

EchoStar 105/SES‑11

 

October 2017

 

105 W

 

November 2030

Operating leases:

EchoStar XXIV

July 2023

95.2 W

December 2030

In addition to the satellites listed above, during 2025 we have launched and will launch certain low earth orbit satellites in connection with additional business opportunities.

Satellite-Related Commitments

As of March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024 our satellite-related commitments, excluding in-orbit incentives, were $41 million and $43 million, respectively. These include payments pursuant to regulatory authorizations, non-lease costs associated with our finance lease satellites, and commitments for satellite service arrangements.

In certain circumstances, the dates on which we are obligated to pay our contractual obligations could change.

Satellite Anomalies and Impairments

Our satellites may experience anomalies from time to time, some of which may have a significant adverse effect on their remaining useful lives, the commercial operation of the satellites or our operating results or financial position.

There can be no assurance that future anomalies will not impact the remaining useful life and/or commercial operation of any of the owned and leased satellites in our fleet. There can be no assurance that we can recover critical transmission capacity in the event one or more of our owned or leased in-orbit satellites were to fail. We are not aware of any anomalies with respect to our owned or leased satellites that have had any such significant adverse effect during the three months ended March 31, 2025.

We generally do not carry commercial in-orbit insurance on any of the satellites that we own and therefore, we will bear the risk associated with any uninsured in-orbit satellite failures. However, pursuant to the terms of our

joint venture agreement with Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PrJSC (“Yahsat”) in Brazil in 2019, we are required to maintain insurance for the Al Yah 3 Brazilian payload during the commercial in-orbit service of such payload, subject to certain limitations on coverage. The insurance policies were procured by Yahsat, under which we and Yahsat are the beneficiaries of any claims in proportion to their shareholdings. An insurance claim was submitted in the second quarter of 2023 for compensation with respect to the reduction in estimated useful life of the Al Yah 3 satellite. During the three months ended March 31, 2025, we received a commitment from the insurance carrier for $5 million, of which we received $2 million in proceeds.

Fair Value of In-Orbit Incentives

As of March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, the fair values of our in-orbit incentive obligations approximated their carrying amounts of $39 million and $41 million, respectively.