Menu

Blog

Archive for the ‘satellites’ category: Page 66

Apr 30, 2022

SpaceX smashes Falcon 9 booster turnaround record

Posted by in categories: drones, internet, satellites

SpaceX has successfully launched and landed the same Falcon 9 booster twice in three weeks, smashing the current record for orbital-class rocket turnaround.

The existing record was also held by Falcon 9 and set in early 2021 when booster B1060 launched a Turkish communications satellite and a batch of Starlink spacecraft just 27 days and 4 hours apart. Now, just under 15 months later, a new Falcon 9 booster has decisively taken the crown.

At 5:27 pm EDT, Falcon 9 B1062 lifted off as planned from SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) Launch Complex 40 pad. Flying for the sixth time, the reused booster carried an expendable Falcon upper stage, fairing, and a batch of 53 Starlink V1.5 satellites most of the way out of Earth’s atmosphere to a velocity of 2.2 kilometers per second (Mach ~6.5) before separating and landing on a SpaceX drone ship.

Apr 25, 2022

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Signs First Deal With Major U.S. Airline To Provide Free Wi-Fi For Passengers

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, habitats, internet, satellites

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has signed its first ever deal with a major U.S. airline to provide wireless internet to passengers for free using the Starlink satellite network.

The deal with Hawaiian Airlines, which could be implemented as soon as next year, is expected to increase pressure on rival airlines to provide free Wi-Fi for passengers.

“Hawaiian doesn’t currently offer inflight Wi-Fi and has an extensive network of flights over the Pacific Ocean, serving the mainland U.S., Japan, Australia and New Zealand, among other destinations, from Hawaii,” CNBC reported. “It plans to offer Starlink connectivity on its flights out of its home state to cities throughout the mainland U.S. and to its international destinations.”

Apr 25, 2022

SpaceX has launched 40 satellites on its latest rideshare rocket

Posted by in category: satellites

Apr 23, 2022

Meteorologists get key upgrade just in time for 2022 hurricane season

Posted by in categories: climatology, satellites

The official start of Atlantic Hurricane Season is less than six weeks away, and forecasters will be getting an essential upgrade just in time for the season to begin.

New technology from the University of Wisconsin will help with preparation of more detailed forecasts and provide more reliable information to meteorologists and emergency planners, which should ultimately result in better, safer outcomes for public safety.

The Advanced Dvorak Technique (ADT) is a satellite-based method for determining tropical cyclone intensity. Planned upgrades include the use of full-resolution images from weather satellites, better identification of the location of each storm’s eye and the ability to better analyze hurricanes occurring outside tropical regions.

Apr 22, 2022

SpaceX lands a Falcon 9 booster for the 12th time, launches 53 more Starlink satellites

Posted by in categories: internet, satellites

Apr 21, 2022

NASA enlists SpaceX and Amazon to help develop next-gen space communications

Posted by in categories: government, satellites

NASA has picked SpaceX, Amazon and four other American companies to develop the next generation of near-Earth space communication services meant to support its future missions. The agency started looking for partners under the Communication Services Project (CSP) in mid-2021, explaining that the use of commercially provided SATCOM will reduce costs and allow it to focus its efforts on deep space exploration and science missions.

“Adopting commercial SATCOM capabilities will empower missions to leverage private sector investment that far exceeds what government can do,” NASA wrote in the official project page. By using technology developed by commercial companies, the agency will have continued access to any innovation they incorporate into the system. At the moment, NASA relies on its Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) system for near-Earth space communications. Many of its satellites were launched in the 80’s and 90’s, though, and it’s set to be decommissioned in the coming years.

The funded agreements under NASA’s Communication Services Project has a combined value of $278.5 million, with SpaceX getting the highest cut. NASA expects the companies to match and exceed its contribution during the five-year development period. SpaceX, which proposed a “commercial optical low-Earth orbiting relay network for high-rate SATCOM services,” has been awarded $69.95 million. Amazon’s Project Kuiper is getting the second-highest cut and has been awarded $67 million, while Viasat Incorporated has been awarded $53.3 million. The other three awardees are Telesat US Services ($30.65 million), SES Government Solutions ($28.96 million) and Inmarsat Government Inc. ($28.6 million).

Apr 19, 2022

Genome editing for Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a glimpse of the future?

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, satellites

Circa 2021


As described above, molecular therapeutics enabling expression of a truncated dystrophin have been far developed. However, an unprecedented opportunity to correct the disease-causing mutation has arisen with the advent of Crispr-Cas9 technology (Fig. 1).

Since the generation of a Cas9-transgenic mouse [28], which allowed for pinpoint gene alterations specifically in organs targeted by AAVs encoding for the corresponding guide RNAs (gRNAs), it became clear that the inevitable course of inherited diseases might be altered by Cas9-mediated correction. Although certain limitations were unmasked early on, such as the preference of non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) over homology-directed repair (HDR) upon enzymatic cleavage of the double stranded DNA by Cas9, or the packaging capacity of AAVs, muscular dystrophies seemed an ideal target for genome editing. DMD mutations inducing Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) seemed particularly well suited, since internal truncations of the protein may lead to a shortened but stable protein with partial functional restitution and a milder disease progression, as seen in the allelic Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD).

Continue reading “Genome editing for Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a glimpse of the future?” »

Apr 17, 2022

An old satellite was hacked to broadcast signals across North America

Posted by in categories: cybercrime/malcode, satellites

A recent satellite hacking shows that end-of-life satellites may be vulnerable.

Apr 16, 2022

Ax-1, Israel and the ‘New Space’ revolution: Q&A with Israel space chief Uri Oron

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, satellites

Israel punches above its weight in space science and exploration, as it does in most other arenas.

For example, the country developed its own line of orbital rockets, the Shavit (“Comet”) series, which has lofted a number of satellites over the years. And in April 2019, Israel’s Beresheet (“In the Beginning”) mission attempted to put a robotic lander down on the moon, something achieved only by the United States, the USSR/Russia and China — and nearly succeeded.

Apr 14, 2022

Space Force looking at what it will take to refuel satellites in orbit

Posted by in categories: innovation, satellites

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Space Force in 2025 plans to launch to geostationary orbit three small satellites that will attempt to dock with a propellant tanker so they can be refueled in space.

The idea is to “test out pieces of the refueling infrastructure,” Col. Joseph Roth, director of innovation and prototyping at U.S. Space Systems Command, told SpaceNews last week at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs.

The $50 million experiment, called Tetra-5, is run by the Space Force’s Space Enterprise Consortium. Bids for the project closed earlier this month.

Page 66 of 184First6364656667686970Last