Tag: satellites
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Kymeta and OneWeb move ahead with flat panel terminal for satellite internet service
Engineers test Kymeta’s u8 antenna system with OneWeb’s satellite service in France. (OneWeb via YouTube) Kymeta Corp., the antenna venture backed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, has signed onto a joint development agreement with OneWeb to develop a flat-panel user terminal for OneWeb’s global satellite internet network. The plan calls for modifying Kymeta’s u8 antenna…
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Rocket Lab launches two more Earth observation satellites for BlackSky — and tracks a falling rocket
Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle rises from its New Zealand launch pad. (Rocket Lab via YouTube) BlackSky’s Earth-watching constellation has grown by two satellites, thanks to Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle and Seattle-based Spaceflight Inc.’s logistical help. Rocket Lab’s previous BlackSky launch ended in failure back in May, but the launch team traced the problem…
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Astra Space joins broadband internet race with proposal to launch 13,000 satellites
Members of Astra Space’s team prepare a rocket for a launch attempt in Alaska. (Astra Space Photo) Make room for yet another competitor in the market to provide broadband internet access from low Earth orbit: Astra Space, the venture that went public with a helping hand from Seattle-area telecom pioneer Craig McCaw, is asking the…
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Amazon schedules first Kuiper satellite launches for 2022 using ABL’s RS1 rocket
An artist’s conception shows ABL Space Systems’ RS1 rocket launching a satellite for Amazon’s Project Kuiper constellation. (Amazon Illustration) Amazon plans to launch the first two prototype satellites for its Project Kuiper satellite broadband constellation by late 2022, using rockets currently being developed by ABL Space Systems. The timeline for testing what’s slated to become…
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Amazon’s Project Kuiper and Verizon join forces on satellite and cellular connectivity
Amazon’s Project Kuiper will provide broadband data access via thousands of satellites. (Amazon / Project Kuiper Illustration) Amazon’s Project Kuiper and Verizon Communications say they’ll collaborate on connectivity solutions that capitalize on Kuiper’s future broadband satellite constellation as well as Verizon’s terrestrial 4G/LTE and 5G data networks. The Amazon-Verizon partnership will focus on rural communities…
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Founded by Blue Origin veterans, Starfish Space raises $7M for satellite servicing tug
As shown in this artist’s conception, Starfish Space’s Otter space tug is designed to hook up with larger objects in orbit, either for servicing or for safe disposal. (Starfish Space Illustration) Kent, Wash.-based Starfish Space says it’s raised $7 million to boost its drive to develop a space tug capable of moving objects into different…
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RBC Signals strikes deal to hook up ground stations with Spaceflight Inc.’s orbital tugs
Artwork shows the Sherpa-LTE1 orbital tug firing up its propulsion system. (Spaceflight Inc. Illustration) Two Seattle-area space companies have forged an alliance to facilitate space-to-ground communications for orbital transfer vehicles. Under the terms of a ground station service agreement, Redmond, Wash.-based RBC Signals will support ground-based communications for multiple missions involving Seattle-based Spaceflight Inc.’s Sherpa…
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Xplore wins $2M contract from Pentagon initiative to speed up satellite development
An artist’s conception shows the Xcraft spacecraft platform in orbit. (Xplore Illustration) Redmond, Wash.-based Xplore says it has received a $2 million contract from National Security Innovation Capital, a hardware development accelerator within the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit, to speed up work on Xplore’s Xcraft platform. The payload-hosting spacecraft is due for its first launch…
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Spaceflight Inc. unveils a new breed of orbital tug that’s built for far-out missions
An artist’s conception shows the Sherpa-ES orbital transfer vehicle. (Spaceflight Inc. Graphic) When a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sends a robotic lander to the moon’s south pole, perhaps as early as next year, Seattle-based Spaceflight Inc. plans to make a few extra deliveries with its own piggyback spacecraft. The mission, known as GEO Pathfinder, will…
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Beyond satellites: Now that it’s gone public, BlackSky will boldly go into new markets
BlackSky CEO Brian O’Toole (center) and other company executives celebrate ringing the opening bell on the New York Stock Exchange. (Black Sky Photo) As a private venture, BlackSky made a name for itself providing satellite imagery and data analysis primarily for military and government customers. But now that it’s an independent, publicly traded company, the…