Tag: Internet
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SpaceX to begin beta testing Direct-to-Cell Starlink satellites
SpaceX’s Starlink satellites have rapidly changed what was once believed to be impossible regarding satellite internet connectivity. The vast Starlink constellation has already connected people worldwide to the knowledge that the internet offers. SpaceX is now preparing to expand Starlink’s reach by beta testing Direct-to-Cell (DTC) Starlink satellites, which will connect mobile phones to cellular…
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OneWeb deployment reaches halfway point with Soyuz 2.1b launch
The initial deployment of OneWeb’s satellite broadband constellation reached its halfway stage on Thursday with the launch of 36 more spacecraft aboard a Russian Soyuz 2.1b rocket. Liftoff from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Eastern Russia occurred at 18:40 local time (09:40 UTC) on October 14. Thursday’s launch is the 11th in a series of flights…
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Soyuz mission launches 34 OneWeb satellites to orbit
Arianespace and Starsem have launched 34 more internet communication satellites of the OneWeb constellation to a low Earth orbit (LEO). The launch occurred at 18:07:19 UTC (14:07:19 EDT) on Tuesday, September 14 from Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a Soyuz 2.1b/Fregat rocket. OneWeb satellites 289 to 322 were deployed into an…
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Europe, Russia launch 9th OneWeb mission
In collaboration with Starsem and Roscosmos, Arianespace launched 34 new internet communication satellites aboard a Soyuz 2.1b for the OneWeb 9 mission. The flight marks the 8th operational launch of OneWeb satellites and brings the total number in orbit to 288: 48% of the 600 satellites required for global coverage with an additional 48 on-orbit…
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Critics take aim at SpaceX’s Starlink, Amazon’s Project Kuiper and other satellite constellations
A rocket’s-eye view shows a stack of SpaceX Starlink satellites just before orbital deployment. (SpaceX Photo) SpaceX, Amazon and OneWeb say their satellite mega-constellations will make broadband internet goodness available to billions of people around the world who are unserved or underserved — but some say those promises have to be weighed against the potential…
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SpaceX aims to expand its Starlink satellite operation to Texas and set up Starbase City
SpaceX’s Starlink antenna connects with satellites for high-speed internet access. (SpaceX Starlink Photo) SpaceX is planning to break ground on a “state-of-the-art manufacturing facility” in Austin, Texas, to support a satellite operation that got its start in Redmond, Wash. The company’s billionaire CEO, Elon Musk, set up the Starlink satellite operation in Redmond five years…
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U.K. government acquires OneWeb in curious move
The government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the U.K.) announced today they are acquiring the U.S. and U.K.-based company OneWeb, which filed for bankruptcy in March 2020 after failing to attract enough capital and customers for its planned internet satellite constellation and operating in a high debt-to-income ratio. The decision…
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Falcon 9 becomes U.S. rocket leader; Starlink “where are they now” edition
As SpaceX continued its steady march of Starlink internet satellite launches, the company reached a new milestone with the seventh flight of Starlink on Wednesday: Falcon 9 took the mantle of “most flown currently operational U.S. rocket” from Atlas V. Meanwhile, SpaceX is actively making moves on the ground, securing FCC permits for Starlink ground…
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Telesat makes deals with Blue Origin and Loon for its internet satellite network
Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith flank Telesat CEO Dan Goldberg, who’s holding a model of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket. (Blue Origin via Twitter) Canada’s biggest satellite operator, Telesat, has signed agreements with Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture and Alphabet’s Loon aerial telecommunications venture to support its…
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FCC approves SpaceX’s plan to provide broadband services with Starlink satellites
SpaceX’s two prototype Starlink satellites are seen on either side of their carrier in advance of February’s launch. (SpaceX via YouTube) The Federal Communications Commission says it has approved SpaceX’s application to provide broadband internet access via thousands of Starlink satellites — a new breed of spacecraft that’s currently under development at the company’s…