Tag: satellites
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BlackSky revs up satellite operations and teams up with HawkEye 360 and NRO
An artist’s conception shows BlackSky’s Global satellites in orbit. (BlackSky Illustration) Seattle-based BlackSky is ramping up commercial operations of its satellite-based geospatial intelligence platform, thanks to newly announced deals with the National Reconnaissance Office and HawkEye 360, a company that has its own radio-sensing satellites in orbit. Both deals were announced today in conjunction with…
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Sightings of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites spark awe — and astronomical angst
SpaceX’s unorthodox card-dealing launch of 60 Starlink broadband satellites has led to into an unusual viewing opportunity for skywatchers — and an occasion to wonder about the impact of such mega-constellations on the natural night sky. A video captured by satellite-watcher Marco Langbroek in the Netherlands sums up the awe. “I could not help shouting…
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AWS Ground Station satellite control system is officially open for business
AWS Ground Station currently makes use of two satellite ground stations and plans to add 10 more later this year. (AWS Photo) Six months after a sneak preview, Amazon Web Services has just raised the curtain on AWS Ground Station, its cloud-based system for controlling satellites and downloading satellite data. AWS says the service is…
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SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket deals out a deck of 60 Starlink internet satellites
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida with 60 Starlink satellites packed in its nose cone. (Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Photo via Twitter) After two postponements, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket executed a mission that dealt out 60 Starlink broadband data satellites into low Earth orbit. The…
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Tethers Unlimited works on technologies for ‘LEO Knight’ satellite servicing robot
An artist’s conception shows the LEO Knight space robot at right, working on a small satellite in orbit. (Tethers Unlimited Illustration) Bothell, Wash.-based Tethers Unlimited works on space technologies ranging from radios to robotic arms, but the company is planning to put all those pieces together to create a space robot called “LEO Knight.” “LEO…
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Olis Robotics wins $50K from Air Force to study options for satellite-servicing robots
An artist’s conception shows one satellite extending its robotic arm to grasp and refuel another satellite in orbit. (NASA / Goddard Illustration) Seattle-based Olis Robotics says it has received a $50,000 grant from the U.S. Air Force to lay out a plan for using its AI-driven software platform to control satellite-servicing robots in orbit. The…
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SpaceX’s Elon Musk says ‘goodness’ will come from twice-delayed Starlink launch
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket sits on its launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, in preparation for the launch of 60 Starlink broadband data satellites. (SpaceX Photo) SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says the launch of 60 Starlink satellites is aimed at spreading “fundamental goodness” in the form of high-speed internet access for…
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Kymeta will widen the reach of its satellite connectivity service with Türksat alliance
An artist’s conception shows the Turksat 4B satellite in orbit. (Turksat Illustration) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Kymeta Corp., the Redmond, Wash.-based satellite antenna venture that’s backed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, says it has struck up a partnership with Turkey’s Türksat telecommunications service to expand satellite data connectivity across a wide swath of Europe, the Middle…
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SpaceX plans to launch dozens of Starlink broadband satellites next week
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in February 2018, sending the first two Starlink demonstration satellites into orbit. (SpaceX via YouTube) SpaceX confirmed that it will launch dozens of Starlink satellites in one go, as early as May 15, setting the stage for what’s expected to become…
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Spaceflight strikes a deal to put rideshare satellites on Relativity Space’s rocket
An artist’s conception shows Relativity Space’s Terran 1 rocket lifting off from Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. (Relativity Space Illustration) Seattle-based Spaceflight has signed a launch services agreement to put payloads on Relativity Space’s Terran 1 rocket. Relativity, a startup that got its start in Seattle but is now headquartered in…