Lifeboat Foundation

Dead satellites and other debris are constantly burning up as they fall out of Earth’s orbit.

Conventional wisdom is destroying all that space junk is good, because it keeps orbit less cluttered. But it may have harmful effects on our planet’s magnetic field, as plasma physicist and former Air Force research scientist Sierra Solter — the author of a contentious and yet-to-be-peer-reviewed paper — argues in a new essay for The Guardian.

Ventures like Elon Musk’s SpaceX are launching thousands of satellites into orbit, and tens of thousands more are soon to follow as interest in the private space industry and space tourism continues to grow.

Space weapons have been launched to intercept satellites.

US believes Russia’s recently launched satellite can inspect and attack other satellites in low Earth orbit.

Researchers from the Photonics Research Laboratory (PRL)-iTEAM at the Universitat Politècnica de València, in collaboration with iPRONICS, have developed a groundbreaking photonic chip. This chip is the world’s first to be universal, programmable, and multifunctional, making it a significant advancement for the telecommunications industry, data centers, and AI computing infrastructures. It is poised to enhance a variety of applications including 5G communications, quantum computing, data centers, artificial intelligence, satellites, drones, and autonomous vehicles.

The development of this revolutionary chip is the main result of the European project UMWP-Chip, led by researcher José Capmany and funded by an ERC Advanced Grant from the European Research Council. The work has been published in the Nature Communications journal.

SpaceX continued expanding the Starlink constellation’s direct-to-cell capabilities by sending another 13 satellites plus seven others into orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket launched early Saturday from Vandenberg Space Force Base.

The 20 new Starlink satellites, including a baker’s dozen with direct-to-cell capabilities, lifted off at 5:58 a.m. Saturday as a stubborn marine layer interfered with those hoping to see it.

After completing its tasks, the first-stage booster, making its 21st flight, landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship positioned in the Pacific Ocean hundreds of miles south of the base. Saturday’s mission marked the 301st successful Falcon landing.

TAMPA, Fla. — Planet’s first hyperspectral satellite is ready for launch to help push the Earth observation operator to profitability by early next year.

Tanager-1 has arrived at California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base ahead of a SpaceX rideshare mission that could take off as soon as July, the operator said June 6 amid earnings results.

Will Marshall, Planet’s co-founder, CEO and chair, told investors the 30-meter resolution satellite will augment its optical constellation by collecting data in more than 400 spectral bands to capture phenomena invisible to the human eye.

As the Kremlin threatens to unleash atomic weapons in its battle to take over democratic Ukraine, and develops nuclear-armed spacecraft to challenge the allied space powers, one rising aerospace outfit says its new space station will be a symbol of international peace and camaraderie when launched into the heavens.

The American co-founders of Starlab Space, who have formed an alliance with European, Canadian and Japanese space-tech leaders, predict their orbiting station could help keep the celestial peace despite the armed clashes and nuclear brinkmanship now upending the Earth.

The Starlab Space Station is first and foremost a hyper-modern habitat and science lab, designed to enable astronauts around the world to conduct experiments in microgravity or deploy imaging satellites, all while circling the planet at 28,000 kilometres per hour.

I am truly honored and humbled to share this interview with Elon Musk, recorded the same day of the epic and historic launch of Starship IFT-4.
#starship #spacex #elonmusk.

Hi! I am now FULL TIME Ellie in SPACE!
My channel started as a way to keep people up to date on the world of SpaceX’s Starlink, the satellite internet service. The channel has grown to include the broader Elon Musk universe.

Continue reading “Exclusive: Elon Musk discusses Starship’s 4th Flight” »

The core mission of this unique satellite is to support reductions in methane emissions around the world.

The satellite will measure atmospheric methane with unprecedented precision and will enable researchers to quantify methane emissions from key emissions regions across the globe.

Continue reading “MethaneSAT: MethaneSAT is New Zealand’s first official government-funded satellite mission” »

NOAA’s GOES-U will be the most advanced of the series.