БЛОГ

Archive for the ‘satellites’ category: Page 4

Dec 15, 2023

Amazon tests space laser to transmit internet, aims 3,236 satellite web

Posted by in categories: internet, satellites

Project Kuiper seeks to deploy a swarm of small satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO) to enhance global broadband access, particularly to remote locations of the planet.


Amazon’s Project Kuiper initiative has marked a significant achievement with the successful in-orbit testing of a critical technology known as optical inter-satellite links (OISL).

Continue reading “Amazon tests space laser to transmit internet, aims 3,236 satellite web” »

Dec 14, 2023

The Starling Squadron: NASA’s CubeSats Take Formation in Space

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, satellites

NASA’s Starling mission will test new technologies for autonomous swarm navigation on four CubeSats in low-Earth orbit. Credit: Blue Canyon Technologies/NASA

NASA ’s Starling spacecraft are getting in formation: the mission team has spent the last two months troubleshooting issues and commissioning the four spacecraft, nicknamed Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde.

Pinky, Inky, and Clyde have successfully completed their propulsion system commissioning and have executed maneuvers to get into their swarm operations configuration, maintaining a range between 50–200 km apart. The three have also successfully demonstrated two-way communications with their crosslink radios in this closer proximity.

Dec 13, 2023

Wild new NASA plasma tech reduces drag during hypersonic flight

Posted by in categories: chemistry, government, military, satellites

According to a notice the agency posted on the government contracting portal SAM.gov on Thursday (Dec. 7), the technology was developed by researchers at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia and has been studied for use in a simulated entry into Neptune’s atmosphere. A separate 2021 study of the same technology studied it for use in the atmosphere of Mars.

Related: Space Force wants ‘Foo Fighter’ satellites to track hypersonic missiles

The agency claims its MHD system is “simpler than conventional methods for control of hypersonic craft (e.g., chemical propulsion, shifting flight center of gravity, or trim tabs) and enables new entry, descent, and landing mission architectures.”

Dec 13, 2023

Starlink triples its internet traffic amid geopolitical tensions

Posted by in categories: internet, satellites

Starlink has around 5,000 satellites in orbit, far more than any other provider.


According to Cloudflare, Starlink’s internet traffic has nearly tripled in 2023 compared to 2022. In the US, the traffic has grown by 250%, while in Brazil, where Starlink launched last year, the traffic has surged by 1700%.

Bridging the divide, one satellite at a time

Continue reading “Starlink triples its internet traffic amid geopolitical tensions” »

Dec 8, 2023

‘World’s Newest Island’ Seen Growing From Space in Satellite Photos

Posted by in category: satellites

This island is on the rise.

Dec 8, 2023

Space Development Agency aims high for 2024 after strong 2023 start

Posted by in categories: military, satellites

WASHINGTON — The Space Development Agency has set its sights on an ambitious launch schedule for 2024 following two successful launches this year that marked steady progress for the fledgling U.S. Space Force agency.

“Starting next September, it’s an 11-launch campaign over 11 months, one launch a month,” SDA Director Derek Tournear said Dec. 7 at a National Security Space Association online forum.

SDA is developing a network of satellites known as the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture — a large constellation of lower-cost, mass-produced satellites in low Earth orbit. This is different from the traditional DoD approach of using small numbers of expensive, highly-customized satellites.

Dec 7, 2023

A Gigantic Hole Just Opened Up in the Sun

Posted by in categories: particle physics, satellites

A massive hole opened up in the Sun’s atmosphere over the weekend, measuring more than 60 times the diameter of the Earth across at its peak.

Coronal holes like this one, imaged by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, occur when the Sun’s magnetic field suddenly allows a huge stream of the star’s upper atmosphere to pour out in the form of solar wind.

Over a short period of time, these highly energized particles can eventually make their way to us and — if powerful enough — wreak havoc on satellites in the Earth’s orbit. In rare instances, they can even mess with the electrical grid back on the ground.

Dec 7, 2023

SpaceX sends up Space Coast’s 68th launch with Falcon Heavy on tap for weekend

Posted by in categories: internet, satellites

SpaceX knocked out yet another Falcon 9 launch overnight but is prepping for liftoff of its powerhouse Falcon Heavy from the Space Coast as early as Sunday.

A Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 12:07 a.m. carrying another 23 Starlink satellites to orbit.

The first-stage booster flew for the ninth time with a recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions stationed downrange in the Atlantic.

Dec 7, 2023

Capella to use SpaceX for two Acadia satellite launches

Posted by in category: satellites

WASHINGTON — Capella Space will launch two radar imaging satellites on SpaceX rideshare missions after an Electron launch failure disrupted its deployment plans.

Capella announced Dec. 5 that it had arranged to fly two of its Acadia satellites on SpaceX rideshare missions in the first half of 2024. Acadia-4 will fly on the Bandwagon-1 mission as soon as April 2024 while Acadia-5 will launch on Transporter-11 no earlier than June 2024. The Transporter-11 mission was arranged through launch services company Exolaunch.

Capella said in a statement that the arrangements allow for a diversity of orbits for its spacecraft. Bandwagon-1 is the first of a new line of dedicated rideshare missions that SpaceX announced earlier this year that will go to mid-inclination orbits, rather than sun-synchronous orbits accessed by Transporter missions.

Dec 7, 2023

SpaceX extends space-payload lead with early Thursday Starlink launch from Cape Canaveral

Posted by in categories: internet, satellites

Wednesday night, SpaceX announced Starlink high-speed internet is now available in Honduras, expanding its sizable service footprint across the Western Hemisphere.

Hours later, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 more Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The late-night Falcon 9 soared off Launch Complex 40 at 12:07 a.m. EST Thursday, extending the ongoing record of annual orbital launches from the Space Coast to 68 — with another 24 days remaining in December.

Page 4 of 16712345678Last