Elon Musk’s company SpaceX has given emergency responders in Washington access to its Starlink satellites to help fight fires.
Through the satellite-based internet constellation Starlink, SpaceX plans to provide broadband internet across the globe and enable connectivity to billions of people who may not have reliable internet access.
SpaceX has already launched hundreds of satellites into orbit, though the firefighters’ use of the network is the first early application of the internet service to be disclosed.
The private space firm hopes to eventually launch tens of thousands of Starlink satellites to create a constellation capable of beaming high-speed broadband down to 99 per cent of the inhabited world.
“Once these satellites reach their target position, we will be able to roll out a fairly wide public beta in northern US and hopefully southern Canada,” Musk tweeted following the launch.
“Other countries to follow as soon as we receive regulatory approval.”
Yes, it is True! A Tesla car is cruising space! The founder of SpaceX Elon Musk wanted to launch a ‘silly’ payload for SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket debut flight because a rocket’s first flight has potential to fail. Typically, aerospace companies launch massive concrete blocks as mass simulators during risky rocket flights. As the dreamer that Musk is, he opted to launch something that would inspire the public to dream big and look at the stars — his flashy midnight cherry Tesla Roadster. The electric vehicle became the crazy payload for the rocket’s launch.
On February 6, 2018, SpaceX conducted Falcon Heavy’s debut flight; It lifted-off from historic launch Pad 39A at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The successful test turned Falcon Heavy into the most powerful rocket in operation, it produced about five million pounds of thrust (22MN). During the mission, SpaceX shared Live footage as the Tesla Roadster was placed into orbit. It was a very inspiring to watch an actual car orbiting around Earth with, a mannequin dressed as an astronaut, positioned in the Tesla driver’s seat; while the radio played “Life on Mars” by David Bowie (video below). After the awe-inspiring launch, Musk wholeheartedly said — “Life cannot just be about solving one sad problem after another. There need to be things that inspire you, that make you glad to wake up in the morning and be part of humanity. That is why we did it. We did for you.”
Russia’s Space Agency will team up with a private company to build a reusable spacecraft, in a bid to compete with Crew Dragon, built by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Estimates suggest the Russian project will be significantly cheaper.
On Friday, Roscosmos and the company ‘Reusable Transport Space Systems’ (RTSS) signed a five-year cooperation agreement with the aim of developing a spacecraft capable of carrying cargo to and from the International Space Station (ISS). According to estimates, the cost of a return trip for Musk’s Crew Dragon is $150 million, whereas Russia intends to make it as cheap as $69 million.
The cargo ship, named Argo, is due to be completed by 2024, and from 2025 will complete up to three launches per year to the ISS.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk in July urged miners to produce more nickel, a key ingredient in the batteries that power the company’s electric cars. Musk offered a “giant contract” if supplies could be produced in an environmentally sensitive way.
While EVs are expected to help reduce global carbon emission, environmentalists are concerned that production of EV parts and increased mining may damage the environment.
Elon Musk confirmed that a new “vector-space bird’s eye view” is coming to Tesla vehicles under the FSD package.
Bird’s eye view, a vision monitoring system that renders a view of a vehicle from the top to help park and navigate tight spaces, has become a popular feature in premium vehicles and it has even moved down market over the last few years.
It is generally made possible due to an array of 5 or 6 camera around the vehicle.
