Tag: broadband
-

Documents suggest SpaceX may launch 30,000 more Starlink satellites
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated Oct. 16 with SpaceX confirmation of 30,000 satellites in the ITU filings. SpaceX launched the first 60 satellites for the company’s Starlink broadband network in May. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX is seeking approval to add up to 30,000 more satellites to its Starlink broadband network, on top of 12,000 spacecraft already authorized by U.S.…
-

Amazon’s Project Kuiper and OneWeb raise the curtain higher on their satellite plans
An artist’s conception shows a OneWeb satellite in space. (OneWeb Satellites Illustration) Filings with the Federal Communications Commission are providing fresh details about the plans being laid by Amazon and OneWeb to set up networks of satellites for global broadband internet access. OneWeb, for example, is seeking FCC approval for up to 1.5 million ground…
-

SES selects SpaceX for two Falcon 9 launches
File photo of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral, the expected launch site for the first satellites in the O3b mPower constellation. Credit: SpaceX Two SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches will loft seven high-throughput broadband satellites for SES’s O3b mPower constellation in 2021, SES announced this week. The two launches are expected…
-

OneWeb targets the Arctic for the kickoff of its satellite broadband service in 2020
An artist’s conception shows one of OneWeb’s satellites in orbit. (OneWeb Satellites Illustration) OneWeb says it’ll start delivering broadband internet service to the Arctic via satellite in 2020, turning the “Last Frontier” into a new frontier for data beamed from orbit. The London-based company provided fresh details about its market rollout today, saying that it…
-

Astranis reserves a ride with SpaceX for satellite that’ll boost broadband in Alaska
Artwork shows Astranis’ high-throughput telecommunications microsatellite in orbit. (Astranis Illustration) A California-based startup called Astranis Space Technologies has signed a deal with SpaceX for the launch of its first geostationary satellite, which is due to widen Alaska’s access to broadband internet service in 2021. The deal calls for SpaceX to launch Astranis’ microsatellite as a…
-

Chinasat 18 communications satellite encounters problem after launch
File photo of a previous Long March 3B rocket launch. Credit: Xinhua A communications satellite designed to deliver broadband services to rural China, airline passengers and maritime vessels suffered “abnormalities” after separating from its Long March 3B launcher Monday, Chinese state media confirmed Tuesday. The Chinasat 18 communications satellite lifted off at 1203 GMT (8:03…
-

Amazon asks FCC for approval of Project Kuiper broadband satellite operation
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos speaks at the re:MARS conference in Las Vegas. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle) Amazon is asking the Federal Communications Commission for approval of its Project Kuiper satellite broadband venture, and referring to potential synergies with Amazon Web Services as a strong selling point. Related: GeekWire’s coverage of Project Kuiper GeekWire first…
-

SpaceX reports milestone for Starlink satellite links — and sparks a debate
An artist’s conception shows the deployment of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites. (SpaceX Illustration) In the wake of last month’s launch of 60 Starlink broadband data satellites, SpaceX says all but three of them are in communication with the company’s network of ground stations, including the satellite operation’s home base in Redmond, Wash. In an emailed update,…
-

Viasat swaps Ariane 5 launch for new Ariane 6 rocket
Artist’s concept of an Ariane 64 rocket, the Ariane 6 configuration with four strap-on solid rocket boosters. Credit: ArianeGroup Viasat has modified an existing contract with Arianespace to launch one of the company’s next-generation broadband Internet satellites on Europe’s next-generation Ariane 6 rocket, rather than on-board an Ariane 5 launcher, officials announced Monday. The agreement…
-

SpaceX’s first 60 Starlink broadband satellites deployed in orbit
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off Thursday night from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX successfully delivered the first 60 members of the company’s Starlink broadband satellite fleet to orbit Thursday night after a launch from Cape Canaveral. The 60 small satellites, each with a flat-panel design and…