Tag: Satellite
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SpaceX seeks to trademark the name ‘Starlink’ for satellite broadband network
A SpaceX satellite coverage scheme described in a patent application envisions two sets of satellites orbiting in different inclinations at different altitudes. (PatentYogi via YouTube) SpaceX has filed documents seeking to trademark the name “Starlink” for a satellite network that could provide global broadband access to data and video services as well as Earth imagery…
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Spaceflight Industries teams with Europe’s Thales Alenia and Telespazio for satellites
An artist’s conception shows BlackSky’s satellite constellation in low Earth orbit. (Spaceflight Industries Illustration) Seattle-based Spaceflight Industries has forged a partnership with a French-Italian venture known as the Space Alliance, formed by Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio, to accelerate plans for a 60-satellite constellation of Earth-observing satellites. The partnership involves a minority investment in Spaceflight…
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NASA tells SSL and Tethers Unlimited to move forward on orbital assembly system
California-based SSL, formerly known as Space Systems Loral, says it’ll receive continued funding from NASA for an on-orbit satellite assembly program known as Dragonfly. SSL and its partners, including Bothell, Wash.-based Tethers Unlimited, recently completed a successful ground demonstration of the Dragonfly system, which is designed to assemble pieces of space hardware in orbit robotically.…
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Boeing to build seven ‘super-powered’ satellites for SES’ O3b broadband network
The O3b mPOWER satellites will be built using electronics from Boeing’s flight-proven 702 satellite platform. (Boeing Illustration) Boeing Satellite Systems International has signed up to build a fleet of seven satellites that will provide broadband internet connectivity from medium Earth orbit for SES’ O3b network. O3b was set up a decade ago to provide internet…
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Spaceflight’s BlackSky wins $16.4M Air Force contract for geospatial data platform
BlackSky’s online imaging platform can link a satellite view of the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo to real-time social media streams about the area to provide greater context. (Spaceflight Industries Graphic) BlackSky, a division of Seattle-based Spaceflight Industries, has been awarded a two-year, $16.4 million cost-plus prime contract with the Air Force Research Laboratory to…
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SpaceX launches Formosat-5 satellite, then lands booster on Pacific drone ship
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rises from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. (SpaceX via YouTube) SpaceX chalked up another successful satellite launch and booster landing today, putting Taiwan’s Formosat-5 Earth observation satellite into orbit in the process. The company’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 11:51 a.m. PT from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base…
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SpaceX’s broadband internet satellite plan reportedly runs into opposition
A SpaceX satellite coverage scheme described in a patent application envisions two sets of satellites orbiting in different inclinations at different altitudes. (PatentYogi via YouTube) SpaceX’s plan to provide global broadband internet access using thousands of satellites in low-earth orbit has come under fire from competitors, including Boeing and OneWeb, according to Space Intel Report.…
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SpaceX closes out a rocket doubleheader with Iridium launch and booster landing
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket blasts its way into orbit. (SpaceX via YouTube) Two days after launching a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida and landing it again, SpaceX accomplished the same feat in California, bringing 10 satellites to low Earth orbit for Iridium’s next-generation communications network. Liftoff came at 1:25 p.m. PT from Vandenberg Air Force Base…
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India’s PSLV rocket puts Spire satellites in orbit – with an assist from Spaceflight
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket wasn’t the only launch vehicle that took to the air today: India’s PSLV-C38 rocket sent an Earth-watching spacecraft called Cartosat-2E into a pole-to-pole orbit, along with 30 nanosatellites. Eight of those pint-sized satellites will be part of San Francisco-based Spire’s low-Earth-orbit constellation for tracking maritime traffic and monitoring the weather. Seattle-based…
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Kymeta names e3 Systems as exclusive distributor of satellite antennas for yachts
Redmond, Wash.-based Kymeta says a Spanish company known as e3 Systems will be its exclusive global distribution partner for flat-panel satellite antennas designed for the yacht market. Sea trials of the antennas began on superyachts last month and will continue over the summer on both sailing vessels and motor yachts. In a statement, Håkan Olsson, Kymeta’s vice…