Law Firms Steer SpaceX $17 Billion Plan to Buy EchoStar Spectrum

Four law firms steered EchoStar Corp.'s plans to sell wireless spectrum to Elon Musk-backed SpaceX for about $17 billion.

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher and HWG LLP acted as legal counsel to SpaceX, which owns the Starlink satellite internet network. White & Case and Steptoe LLP guided telecommunications company EchoStar. The deal will allow Echostar to resolve a regulatory probe and pay off debt.

The Gibson Dunn corporate team guiding SpaceX included co-chair of the firm’s M&A practice group and head of cross-border M&A George Sampas; global co-chair of the M&A practice group and member of the firm’s executive committee Robert ...