Ukrainian official: Musk to keep funding key satellite links
A senior Ukrainian government official says Elon Musk has given assurances to Ukraine that he will keep funding its access to a crucial satellite network providing Kyiv with battlefield and humanitarian communications in its war with Russia.
‘Unfavorable weather’ postpones SpaceX launch of Starlink satellites
A Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. The payload is the 17th batch of approximately 60 satellites for SpaceX's Starlink broadband network. (AP Photo/John Raoux)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – SpaceX was ready to roll Sunday night to carry more Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit, but at the last minute, the plans were scrapped due to weather conditions. At least two were planned for this week of launches of 60 Starlink satellites at a time. SpaceX received approval Friday from the 45th Space Wing, which oversees the eastern range, for a Falcon 9 lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Base Sunday night carrying more Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit.
Astronomers are working to make sure large satellite constellations don’t forever change the night sky
A composite image of Starlink satellite trails across an image of Comet NEOWise taken in Central Florida by astronomer Derek Demeter in July 2020. (Derek Demeter)Our view of the night sky has been changing ever since the light bulb was invented. “When I look up at the night sky, I’m reminded of the thousands of years of history that people have been inspired -- a lot of our traditions today stem from ancient people looking up at the night sky and feeling awe and wonder,” he said. AdIn August, the members of an American Astronomical Society committee -- who have been working with SpaceX engineers-- released their findings about how to mitigate trashing the night sky and what the long-standing impact of these large constellations will be. Lori Allen, also an astronomer with the NOIRLab, said the astronomy working group observed Starlink satellites to determine if changes to the satellite hardware will work, what observatories can do.
Pictures of a ‘glowing cloud’ following SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch will leave you in awe
We’ve seen a couple of pretty cool things lately when it comes to rocket launches, but the view of Falcon 9 taking off just before daybreak Saturday has got to be at the top of the list. In case you missed it, the rocket launched 58 Starlink communication satellites, bringing SpaceX one step closer to reaching its goal of providing global internet coverage from space. Falcon 9 launches 58 Starlink satellites and 3 @planetlabs Skysats to orbit before returning to Earth and landing on a droneship pic.twitter.com/K6OjgJQZfv — SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 13, 2020WOAH! A #SpaceX #Starlink launch into astronomical twilight is the absolute BEST WAY to start your day. pic.twitter.com/Mqr6NWNDhu — Jamie Groh (@AlteredJamie) June 13, 2020Full Screen 1 / 4 Viewers capture spectacular images during the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch early Saturday morning.
SpaceX wants to beam internet across the American South by late 2020
(CNN) - SpaceX wants to become one of the world's largest internet providers by deploying a constellation of thousands of satellites to beam broadband from space. One key benefit of reaching those areas: satellite internet access wouldn't be wiped out by bad weather. And SpaceX has faced pushback from potential competitors in the satellite internet business, including Softbank-backed OneWeb. Creating a successful satellite internet business could be extremely lucrative. OneWeb, which is backed by Softbank, and Amazon have their own plans to build megaconstellations of internet satellites, though SpaceX is considered the frontrunner to become the first to market.
European satellite changed course to avoid SpaceX collision
CNN Video(CNN) - In the first incident of its kind, a European Space Agency (ESA) satellite was forced to perform an evasive maneuver Monday to avoid hitting a SpaceX spacecraft. The ESA Aeolus Earth observation satellite fired its thrusters as part of a "collision avoidance maneuver," according to a statement from ESA. ESA contacted Starlink, which said it did not plan to move its satellite, according to the statement, so the ESA team decided to increase the altitude of its Aeolus satellite to avoid a collision. "It is very rare to perform collision avoidance manoeuvres with active satellites," said ESA in a tweet. The trade-off for increased satellite traffic in space will be low-cost internet for a significant portion of the world's population that isn't yet online, according to SpaceX.
SpaceX says most of its internet satellites are fully functional
Next on SpaceX's checklist is to actually use the satellites to access the internet and test out how well the network operates. SpaceX hopes its satellite internet project, called Starlink, will one day grow to include thousands of satellites and offer coverage all over the globe. SpaceX said Friday that it will test the first batch of Starlink satellites using ground antennas in North America. Of the 60 satellites launched in May, only three malfunctioned and were unable to communicate with the ground, a SpaceX spokesperson said Friday. Purposely taking satellites out of orbit is part of SpaceX's plan to ensure its satellites don't contribute to the space junk issue.