Tag: Satellite
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Xplore acquires assets of Kubos flight software company as it ramps up for first space mission
An artist’s conception shows Xplore’s satellite platform in low Earth orbit. (Xplore Illustration) Redmond, Wash.-based Xplore says it’s acquired the assets of Kubos Corp., the creator of cloud-based mission and flight control software for satellites. Xplore’s co-founder and CEO, Jeff Rich, said in a news release that Kubos’ Major Tom software platform would be used…
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Spaceflight Inc. hails a pair of successful launches as it deals with frictions in SpaceX relationship
Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle lifts off into the skies over New Zealand, sending two BlackSky satellites into orbit. Seattle-based Spaceflight Inc. played a supporting role in the mission. (Joseph Baxter Photo via Rocket Lab) Thanks to its role in handling pre-launch logistics, Seattle-based Spaceflight Inc. can claim a share of the credit for two…
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Amid challenges, Kymeta and OneWeb sign deal to widen satellite broadband access
Engineers test Kymeta’s antenna system with OneWeb’s satellite service in France. (OneWeb via YouTube) Redmond, Wash.-based Kymeta Corp., the mobile connectivity company backed by Bill Gates, has signed a distribution partner agreement with OneWeb to offer satellite broadband services around the globe. The agreement clears the way for Kymeta to resell OneWeb services in conjunction…
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Radio astronomers are looking to the future as satellite mega-constellations light up the sky
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sends 47 Starlink satellites into orbit from Kennedy Space Center. (SpaceX Photo) There are plenty of astronomers who worry that the thousands of satellites that are being launched into low Earth orbit for global broadband internet access will cast a pall over their scientific observations. But Tony Beasley, director of…
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Xplore says it’s brought in $16.2M so far for ‘Space as a Service’ satellite program
An artist’s conception shows the Xplore’s satellite platform in low Earth orbit. (Xplore Illustration) In a recap of its first five years of existence, Redmond, Wash.-based Xplore reports that it’s received $16.2 million in venture funding and contracts to support its satellite-based drive to offer “Space as a Service.” “Xplore employs around 20 people and…
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SpaceX’s falling Starlink satellites highlight concerns about the future of orbital traffic
A rocket’s-eye view shows a stack of SpaceX Starlink satellites just before orbital deployment. (SpaceX Photo) SpaceX says that most of the satellites it launched last week for its Starlink broadband internet constellation are doomed to fall from orbit due to a solar storm. Based on the company’s analysis, as many as 40 of the…
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Astronomers set up a new center to address issues raised by SpaceX and Amazon satellite networks
This time-lapse image of Venus and the Pleiades shows the tracks of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites. (Torsten Hansen / IAU OAE / Creative Commons Attribution) The International Astronomical Union is heading up the creation of a new center to deal with the complications created by broadband satellite constellations like SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper. The…
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Xplore makes a deal to use OrbAstro’s satellite platforms for space missions
An artist’s conception shows Xplore’s first satellite, which will use Orbital Astronautics’ ORB-6 platform for Earth observation and astronomical research. (OrbAstro Illustration) Redmond, Wash.-based Xplore has signed a contract with Orbital Astronautics Ltd. to use its standardized satellite platform for a variety of missions, starting with a space imaging mission that’s due for launch as…
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Mangata raises $33M for hybrid satellite network with connections to Seattle tech community
Mangata Networks aims to put satellites in medium Earth orbit, or MEO; and highly elliptical orbits, or HEO. (Mangata Graphic) BELLEVUE, Wash. — Mangata Networks, a Phoenix-based startup with links to the Seattle area, has closed a $33 million investment round for an innovative kind of satellite constellation for connectivity and edge computing. The company…
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In a new video, Amazon’s Project Kuiper highlights satellite broadband for folks off the beaten track
Rajeev Badyal, VP of technology for Project Kuiper, speaks at the project’s Redmond facility. (Amazon via YouTube) Amazon’s Project Kuiper hasn’t yet launched a single satellite, but in a video released this week, it’s talking up what its broadband internet constellation will be able to do for rural connectivity. The video focuses on unmet broadband…