INSIDE ALASKA BUSINESS.

Pacific Dataport

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket expended its entire reusable core and two strap-on boosters to lift the Aurora 4A satellite to geosynchronous orbit. The launch from Florida on April 30 positions the satellite more than 22,000 miles over Alaska. The satellite is the key to Pacific Dataport's "middle mile" communications between small communities and internet trunk lines. The 800-pound satellite built by Astranis is relatively small for spacecraft orbiting so high, but it has the advantage of never dropping below the horizon. auroraiv.com

HEA | City of Seward

The electric utility in Seward remains a city department after a May 2 special election saw a sale to Homer Electric Association fail by a margin of 7 votes. Of ballots cast, 58 percent favored the $25 million sale--227 to 162--but the proposition required a 60 percent margin to pass. This is the second time since 2000 the question has been put to Seward voters; since the first, Homer Electric agreed to terms of a sale. However, some Homer residents advocated for a sale to Chugach Electric Association instead. homerelectric.com | cityofseward.us

ANC Airport

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) surpassed Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG) in the latest tally of world air cargo to claim the slot for third busiest airport in 2022. Airports Council International counted 3,461,603 tonnes of cargo transiting ANC's runways. Among the top ten airports, ANC had the largest increase since 2019, with 26.1 percent more cargo tonnage, even though volume dropped by 4.3 percent since 2021. Hong Kong International Airport remained in the top rank, with 4.2 million tonnes, followed by the FedEx hub in Memphis, Tennessee, with 4 million tonnes. Shanghai PVG, with the largest year-over-year drop of 21.7 percent, moved a little less than 3.1 million tonnes. Among the top ten for 2022, only Louisville, Kentucky's airport grew since 2021, up half a percent to rank 5th. For international freight only, ANC ranks 6th, moving 2.3 million tonnes, down 5.6 percent from 2021 but up 21.1 percent from 2019, the largest growth among the top ten. ancairport.com

Sound Publishing

The presses have stopped at the Peninsula Clarion, although the newspaper is still being published. The Washington-based owner, Sound Publishing, shut down the in-house press on Friday, April 28, and twice-weekly printings of about 1,000 copies are being outsourced to another vendor. The Clarion's lone pressman was laid off...