Tag: satellites
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FCC clears Amazon Leo to boost satellite broadband coverage and cover polar regions
An artist’s conception shows how additional Amazon Leo satellites would provide coverage in Earth’s polar regions. (Amazon Illustration) Amazon has won the Federal Communications Commission’s approval to go ahead with its plan to launch thousands of second-generation Amazon Leo satellites for its broadband internet network, even though the first-generation constellation is far from complete. The…
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Starfish Space wins $54.5M Space Force contract for another satellite servicing vehicle
An artist’s conception shows Starfish Space’s Otter spacecraft in geosynchronous Earth orbit. (Starfish Space Illustration) Tukwila, Wash.-based Starfish Space has been awarded a $54.5 million contract to produce another Otter satellite servicing spacecraft for the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command. The deal, announced this week, builds on a $37.5 million Space Systems Command contract…
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Gilmour Space and Transcelestial Partner on Laser Communications for Satellites
Australian launch and satellite company Gilmour Space Technologies has entered into a long-term strategic partnership with Singapore-based laser communications firm Transcelestial to integrate optical communications technology into future satellite platforms, the companies said on Monday. As a first step, Gilmour Space will fly a Transcelestial laser communications terminal on an upcoming mission, supporting an in-orbit…
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Starfish Space wins $52.5M contract to provide satellite disposal service for Space Development Agency
An artist’s conception shows an Otter spacecraft in proximity to another satellite. (Starfish Space Illustration) Starfish Space has secured a $52.5 million contract from the U.S. Space Force’s Space Development Agency to dispose of military satellites at the end of their operational lives. The Tukwila, Wash.-based startup says it’s the first commercial deal ever struck…
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Starcloud plans its next power plays after training first AI model in space
Starcloud’s founders — CEO Philip Johnston, chief technology officer Ezra Feilden and chief engineer Adi Oltean — wear protective gear as they check out the startup’s Starcloud-1 satellite before launch. (Starcloud Photo) After taking one small but historic step for space-based AI, a Seattle-area startup called Starcloud is gearing up for a giant leap into…
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Startups team up to demonstrate satellite rendezvous using Starfish Space’s navigation system
A sign on Impulse Space’s Mira spacecraft in orbit reads “How’s My Orbital Maneuvering?” (Impulse Space Photo) Tukwila, Wash.-based Starfish Space and California-based Impulse Space say they’ve successfully demonstrated an in-space satellite rendezvous during a mission that handed over control of an Impulse Mira spacecraft to Starfish’s guidance and navigation system. The demonstration was code-named…
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Uncommon Thinkers: How Portal’s Jeff Thornburg plans to harness the heat of the sun in the cold of space
Portal Space Systems CEO Jeff Thornburg checks out the vacuum chamber where space hardware is tested. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle) Editor’s note: This series profiles six of the Seattle region’s “Uncommon Thinkers”: inventors, scientists, technologists and entrepreneurs transforming industries and driving positive change in the world. They will be recognized Dec. 11 at the GeekWire Gala. Uncommon Thinkers is presented in…
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Amazon Leo starts to roll out its fastest satellite internet service — and reveals just how fast it’ll be
A worker installs an Amazon Leo antenna at a Hunt Energy facility. (Amazon Photo) Amazon Leo — the satellite internet service provider formerly known as Project Kuiper — says it has started shipping its top-of-the-line terminals to select customers for testing. Today’s announcement serves as further evidence that Amazon is closing in on providing space-based,…
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Portal Space Systems introduces Starburst, a new breed of maneuverable spacecraft
An artist’s conception shows Portal’s Starburst spacecraft in the foreground with its Supernova space vehicle (and Earth) in the background. (Portal Space Systems Illustration) Bothell, Wash.-based Portal Space Systems has added another spacecraft to its product line: a rapid-maneuverability vehicle called Starburst, which takes advantage of technologies that are being developed for its more powerful…
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Jeff Bezos says orbital data centers will be the ‘next step’ for space ventures that make Earth better
Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and Blue Origin, speaks at Italian Tech Week 2025 in Turin. (Italian Tech Week via YouTube) What’s the next killer app for the final frontier? According to Jeff Bezos, it’s a future fleet of gigawatt data centers, flying in orbit and powered by sunlight. Bezos — who founded the…