Lifeboat Foundation

For the first time in my timezone, SpaceX completed 9 launches in a month. Previously, if you were based in Europe, you saw 9 launches in a month a few months ago. At 9 launches/month that is a current rate of 108 launches/year, making SpaceX’s goal of 100 launches this year a possibility.

They had a lot of trouble getting this flight off today as a recent hurricane is still affecting the weather some. They got around this by having a 5 and a half hour launch window so they just waited a few hours until the weather was clear for several minutes and they launched!

Continue reading “SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches Starlink 6-13 Mission” »

Metrological institutions around the world administer our time using atomic clocks based on the natural oscillations of atoms. These clocks, pivotal for applications like satellite navigation or data transfer, have recently been improved by using ever higher oscillation frequencies in optical atomic clocks.

Now, scientists at the University of Innsbruck and the Institute of Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences led by Christian Roos show how a particular way of creating entanglement can be used to further improve the accuracy of measurements integral to an optical atomic clock’s function. Their results have been published in the journal Nature.

Observations of quantum systems are always subject to a certain statistical uncertainty. “This is due to the nature of the quantum world,” explains Johannes Franke from Christian Roos’ team. “Entanglement can help us reduce these errors.”

SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, has reportedly achievedability in the first quarter of 2023, marking a significant milestone for the privately owned rocket company. According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), SpaceX reported a of $55 million on $1.5 billion in revenue for the January-to-March period. This success comes after two years of narrowing losses, with the company managing to cut its 2022 losses to $559 million from the previous year’s $968 million while doubling its revenue to $4.6 billion.

The positive financial results reflect SpaceX’s growing revenue, driven in part by its Starlink internet satellite service and the development of its ambitious Starship rocket. The company’s surging revenue has enabled it to make progress towardability while pursuing its ambitious goals in space exploration and satellite communication.

The WSJ report also sheds light on SpaceX’s significant expenses, with the company recording total expenses of $5.2 billion in 2022, up from $3.3 billion in the previous year. Despite these costs, SpaceX’sability in the first quarter signals the potential for its ongoing success as it continues to innovate and expand its operations in the space industry.

SBUDNIC, built by an academically diverse team of students, was confirmed to have successfully reentered Earth’s atmosphere in August, demonstrating a practical, low-cost method to cut down on space debris.

When it comes to space satellites, getting the math wrong can be catastrophic for an object in orbit, potentially leading to its abrupt or fiery demise. In this case, however, the fiery end was cause for celebration.

About five years ahead of schedule, a small cube satellite designed and built by Brown University students to demonstrate a practical, low-cost method to cut down on space debris reentered Earth’s atmosphere sometime on Tuesday, Aug. 8 or immediately after—burning up high above Turkey after 445 days in orbit, according to its last tracked location from U.S. Space Command.

Rocket Lab USA Inc. successfully re-flew one of its Rutherford rocket engines during an orbital launch on Wednesday, a key step in the small satellite-launch company’s efforts to prove its reusable rocket technology.

SpaceX has taken a step further in its mission to enhance global internet connectivity with the unveiling of its third-generation (Gen 3) Wi-Fi for the Starlink satellite internet service. This announcement comes as a select group of customers have been invited via email to test the new at a cost of $200 USD, according to multiple individuals who received the invite.

“You’re Invited: New Starlink,” says the email, “As an early Starlink customer, you’re invited to a limited launch of our next generation WiFi We would love to hear about your experience, including setup, performance, or any other recommendations you may have, as these will be the firsts produced. […] You may order up to 3s per account. This offer applies only to your Starlink account. What’s improved? The new Gen 3 introduces WiFi 6 and tri-band radios to Starlink. With improved range, performance, and device support, the Starlink Gen 3 will extend your WiFi network throughout your home to provide a more consistent and reliable connection with faster speeds,” the company states. “The Gen 3 can replace your current, and multiple Gen 3s can be meshed together to extend the range of your WiFi network.”

SBUDNIC was a small cube satellite, about the size of a bread loaf, that was launched on a SpaceX rocket in May 2022.

Space junk is a serious issue that threatens the safety and sustainability of orbital activities. To address this problem, a team of students from Brown University designed and built a low-cost cube satellite that successfully deorbited itself after completing its mission. The satellite, named SBUDNIC, used a simple plastic drag sail to increase its atmospheric drag and hasten its reentry.

As per the press release, the small cube satellite has burned up high above Turkey after 445 days in orbit. Its reentry into Earth’s atmosphere on Tuesday, Aug. 8, marked the successful conclusion of a low-cost experiment aimed at reducing space debris, five years ahead of schedule.

This story is part of a new series of features on the subject of success, Benzinga Inspire.

In 2006, a young rocket-crazy kid from New Zealand traveled to the United States to show off his experiments to NASA, hoping to come away with an internship. Instead, he was escorted off the premises, so he went home, drew a logo on a napkin and started the process of building his own space company.

Changing His Trajectory: According to a CNBC report, Rocket Lab USA Inc RKLB founder and CEO Peter Beck started his own rocket company after NASA and other companies like Boeing Co BA wouldn’t give him a chance to pursue his dreams. Today, his space startup launches satellites for NASA and Rocket Lab is worth just shy of $2 billion.

WASHINGTON — The Space Development Agency announced Aug. 21 it awarded contracts worth $1.5 billion to Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin to build and operate 72 satellites.

The Space Development Agency (SDA), an organization under the U.S. Space Force, is building a mesh network of military satellites in low Earth orbit.

The 72 satellites will make up a portion of SDA’s network known as Tranche 2 Transport Layer. SDA is building a large constellation called the proliferated warfighter space architecture that includes a Transport Layer of interconnected communications satellites and a Tracking Layer of missile-detection and warning sensor satellites.