Tag: Kuiper
-
Launch Roundup: ULA scrubs launch of Kuiper satellites, NASA postpones launch of Axiom crew to ISS
Both SpaceX and NASA have postponed this week’s planned launch of Axiom Space’s fourth private crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS), following leaks discovered on both the vehicle and subsequently on the Space Station’s Zvezda module. The flight was due to debut the fifth and final Crew Dragon capsule, and would further increase…
-
We finally know a little more about Amazon’s super-secret satellites
The first production satellites for Amazon’s Kuiper broadband network launched earlier this week, but if you tuned in to the mission’s official livestream, the truncated coverage had the feel of a spy satellite launch. This changed with a video Amazon posted on social media Friday, giving space enthusiasts and prospective Kuiper customers their first look…
-
We finally know a little more about Amazon’s super-secret satellites
The first production satellites for Amazon’s Kuiper broadband network launched earlier this week, but if you tuned in to the mission’s official livestream, the truncated coverage had the feel of a spy satellite launch. This changed with a video Amazon posted on social media Friday, giving space enthusiasts and prospective Kuiper customers their first look…
-
ULA launches first operational Amazon Kuiper mission on second attempt
Amazon’s Project Kuiper broadband communications mega-constellation, a future competitor to SpaceX’s Starlink service, has launched its first operational satellites to low-Earth orbit. Following a scrubbed first launch attempt, a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V 551, standing atop Space Launch Complex 41 in Florida, lofted Project Kuiper (KA-01), the first of more than 80 Kuiper…
-
There’s a secret reason the Space Force is delaying the next Atlas V launch
Pushed by trackmobile railcar movers, the Atlas V rocket rolled to the launch pad last week with a full load of 27 satellites for Amazon’s Kuiper Internet megaconstellation. Credit: United Launch Alliance Last week, the first operational satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper broadband network were minutes from launch at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.…
-
Launch Roundup: Falcon 9 launches three missions; New Shepard completes NS-31
During this active week of launches, SpaceX launched Falcon 9 three times, and New Shepard carried the first all-woman crew above the Kármán line. On April 10, China successfully launched a Cheng Zhang 3B/E rocket into geostationary transfer orbit. SpaceX launched NROL-192 and Starlink Group 12-17 on April 12, followed by an expected launch of…
-
ULA’s Vulcan rocket still doesn’t have the Space Force’s seal of approval
Last October, United Launch Alliance started stacking its third Vulcan rocket on a mobile launch platform in Florida in preparation for a mission for the US Space Force by the end of the year. That didn’t happen, and ULA is still awaiting the Space Force’s formal certification of its new rocket, further pushing out delivery…
-
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…
-
Two giants in the satellite telecom industry join forces to counter Starlink
Facing competition from Starlink and other emerging satellite broadband networks, the two companies that own most of the traditional commercial communications spacecraft in geostationary orbit announced plans to join forces Tuesday. SES, based in Luxembourg, will buy Intelsat for $3.1 billion. The acquisition will create a combined company boasting a fleet of some 100 multi-ton satellites…
-
‘Cleanest first flight,’ ULA president reflects on inaugural Vulcan launch and future of program
The inaugural Vulcan rocket, powered by two Blue Origin-built BE-4 engines, lifts off from SLC-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Jan. 8, 2024. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now United Launch Alliance entered an important new era for the company with the debut of its Vulcan rocket in early January. The flight was one that…