EchoStar's satellite subsidiary Hughes Network Systems could be the next of its subsidiaries to file for bankruptcy.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Hughes could file for bankruptcy within the next few days as Hughes is due to pay a $1.5 billion debt maturity, which has a deadline of August 1.

The WSJ reports that Hughes could file as soon as the weekend, without a prenegotiated plan in place to address its debts, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The reports come just weeks after Dish, another EchoStar subsidiary, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. EchoStar noted at the time that it was waiting to complete high-profile spectrum sales to AT&T and SpaceX, the former of which was completed this week.

As reported by DCD's sister publication, SDx Central, at the time, EchoStar described the bankruptcy protection move as a “prepackaged” filing that implements terms set forth in a previous reorganization filed in March.

As of the end of Q1, Hughes reported that it had only $102 million in cash on hand, while the company shed around 58,000 satellite broadband subscribers last quarter. As of the end of the first quarter, the company's customer base sat at around 681,000.

EchoStar had warned in a previous 10-Q filing in March that it was unlikely to fulfill its obligations to meet the $1.5bn debt maturity payment. WSJ reports that there's no grace period on the payment in the event that EchoStar misses the deadline.

Hughes satellites are powered by JUPITER system technology, while its fleet of High-Throughput Satellites (HTS) supports a wide range of consumer, small business, enterprise, in-flight and mobile services across two continents.

The company's fleet of HTS covers the US, Mexico, most of Canada, and major parts of Central and South America, according to the company's website.