SpaceX is set to launch 22 more of its Starlink internet satellites from Florida on Monday night (Oct. 9).
The Starlink spacecraft are scheduled to lift off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Monday at 8:42 p.m. EDT (0042 GMT on Oct. 10). Four backup opportunities are available as well, from 9:32 p.m. EDT until 12:10 a.m. EDT (0132 to 410 GMT on Oct. 10).
A fine handed to the US TV firm Dish by the FCC could help kick-start the market for solutions to space debris.
We’ve just taken a major step toward cleaning up space junk. On Monday, October 2, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US issued its first fine for space debris, ordering the US TV provider Dish to pay $150,000 for failing to move one of its satellites into a safe orbit.
“It is definitely a very big symbolic moment for debris mitigation,” says Michelle Hanlon, a space lawyer at the University of Mississippi. “It’s a great step in the right direction.”
The ultimate goal is to place 3,200 satellites into low Earth orbit.
Jeff Bezos is moving one step closer to entering the broadband satellite market with its venture, Project Kuiper. Amazon-led Project Kuiper aims to place a swarm of thousands of small satellites or constellations into low Earth orbit (LEO).
The primary objective of this project is to extend internet access to regions currently lacking reliable connectivity, particularly rural and remote areas where the installation of internet infrastructure is either costly or logistically challenging.
Amazon.
Amazon-led Project Kuiper aims to place a swarm of thousands of small satellites or constellations into low Earth orbit (LEO).
Starlink/ X
Space-based internet services took a giant leap when SpaceX launched Starlink’s first satellites just over three years ago. The service has grown rapidly thanks to SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9 rockets and an increasing number of users looking to connect to the internet while being located remotely.
Google Maps can now calculate rooftops’ solar potential, track air quality, and forecast pollen counts.
The platform recently launched a range of services like Solar API, which calculates weather patterns and pulls data from aerial imagery to help understand rooftops’ solar potential. The tool aims to help accelerate solar panel deployment by improving accuracy and reducing the number of site visits needed.
As seasonal allergies get worse every year, Pollen API shows updated information on the most common allergens in 65 countries by using a mix of machine learning and wind patterns. Similarly, Air Quality API provides detailed information on local air quality by utilizing data from multiple sources, like government monitoring stations, satellites, live traffic, and more, and can show areas affected by wildfires too.
Starlink is upgrading its satellite constellation to rev up its internet service. The company launched 8,000 upgraded space lasers capable of transmitting data at speeds up to 100 Gbps.
On September 26, Starlink posted a look at the improved V2 Mini satellites, which will enhance the constellation’s speed, reliability, and reach.
“Our next generation Starlink optical space lasers (pew pew!) were launched to orbit on Monday,” Starlink tweeted on X (formerly Twitter).
The 2 SOPS or 2nd Space Operations Squadron commander, Lt Col Robert Wray… More.
Of all the missions the Space Force performs daily for a grateful nation, there is none more ubiquitous and essential than GPS. Today’s soldiers and sailors depend on reliable, accurate, and secure GPS as much as they do any weapon they employ. Meanwhile, the rest of the world is just as dependent on GPS to enable basic mobility and underpins every other sector of the modern global economy. The criticality of secure global navigation and timing to both warfighting and the national economy makes it unique – we simply could not go a day without space. In so few words, GPS’ future is ground zero for the new space race.
The 2 SOPS or 2nd Space Operations Squadron commander, Lt Col Robert Wray reminds me that “14 of the 16 critical infrastructures designated by the Department of Homeland Security rely on 24/7 GPS to operate for the country.” But the newest GPS satellites in use today are the same school bus sized ones Gen. Hyten has lamented are, “juicy targets” for our adversaries – marvels of modern engineering, yes, but no longer sufficient to meet modern needs.
Alternatives to GPS, categorically called Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), are growing rapidly because the old GPS system we rely on offers neither the precision nor security needed in an increasingly autonomous, rule based, and precisely timed world. What exactly needs to change then, aside from smaller, faster satellites as technology becomes more efficient and readily available? There are major challenges with the current system that today’s Guardians are already working on. But to usher in a new and improved GPS capability, the government needs to adopt artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance squadron operations, work to better integrate commercial software into current GPS constellation to get the most out of current capabilities, and continue to invest in the next generation of leaders. Private capital has begun aligning with companies aiming to solve these future deficiencies, in a race against pacing threats like China and Russia.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (WFLA) — SpaceX will attempt to launch 22 Starlink satellites from Florida on Friday evening, but weather threatens to postpone the launch.
According to the SpaceX website, the company plans to send up its Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 10 p.m.
The latest forecast from the 45th Weather Squadron at Patrick Space Force Base indicates the launch has an 80% chance of being scrubbed or delayed due to weather. If that happens, SpaceX has three backup opportunities available until 10:15 p.m., but conditions are only expected to be slightly more favorable.
