Tag: satellites
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Portal Space Systems opens its doors for a sneak preview of solar propulsion system
VIPs cut the ribbon at Portal Space Systems’ HQ in Bothell, Wash. From left: U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene; Portal co-founders Prashaanth Ravindran, Jeff Thornburg and Ian Vorbach; and Bothell Mayor Mason Thompson. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle) BOTHELL, Wash. — From the outside, Portal Space Systems’ headquarters looks like a standard-issue office space in a…
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Lumen Orbit changes its name to Starcloud and raises $10M for space data centers
An artist’s conception shows data-center spacecraft being added to an orbital array. (Starcloud via YouTube) Redmond, Wash.-based Starcloud got its start just last year under a different name — Lumen Orbit — but the newly renamed company is already filling out its seed funding round with $10 million in fresh investment for space-based data centers.…
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Amazon Web Services focuses on optimizing artificial intelligence in space
Amazon Web Services demonstrated data processing in orbit in 2022, using a payload on D-Orbit’s ION satellite carrier, shown in this artist’s conception. (D-Orbit Illustration) Artificial intelligence and machine learning are turning into requirements for space operations, and Amazon Web Services is optimizing its products to reflect that view, according to the former Air Force…
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Amazon ships Project Kuiper satellites to Florida in preparation for milestone launch
Project Kuiper satellites are packed inside containers for transport to Florida. (Amazon Photo) Amazon is providing a sneak peek at the satellites that are being shipped to Florida for the launch of its Project Kuiper broadband network — well, maybe not the satellites, but at least their containers. “Late last year, we began shipping flight-ready…
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The Year in Space: Amazon’s Project Kuiper revs up to join the megaconstellation market
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket sends two prototype satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper to orbit in 2023. The first operational Kuiper satellites are due for launch on a different Atlas V in early 2025. (ULA Photo) Get ready for Amazon’s Project Kuiper to pick up the pace in the megaconstellation space race. So…
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Microsoft collaborates with NASA on Earth Copilot, an AI guide to our planet’s data
Microsoft and NASA have joined forces to develop Earth Copilot, a software tool that uses artificial intelligence and cloud computing to simplify the process of searching and analyzing Earth science data. The collaboration is part of NASA’s Transform to Open Science Initiative, which aims to make more than 100 petabytes of satellite imagery and other…
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AST SpaceMobile chooses Blue Origin’s New Glenn rockets for satellite launches
An artist’s conception shows AST SpaceMobile’s Bluebird satellites in orbit. (AST SpaceMobile Illustration) AST SpaceMobile plans to use Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket to launch some of the satellites for its space-based cellular broadband network in 2025 and 2026. New Glenn has been under development at Jeff Bezos’ privately held space venture for more than…
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Starfish Space raises $29M to bankroll development of orbital servicing vehicles
An artist’s conception shows an Otter spacecraft in orbit. (Starfish Space Illustration) Tukwila, Wash.-based Starfish Space today announced that it has raised $29 million to support the development of its first three Otter orbital servicing vehicles for missions serving the U.S. Space Force, NASA and Intelsat. The investment round was led by Shield Capital, a…
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Starfish Space brings in new funding as it gears up for orbital inspection and docking
Artwork shows the Otter spacecraft in orbit near another satellite. (Starfish Space Illustration) Tukwila, Wash.-based Starfish Space is bringing in more funding after announcing several agreements to use its Otter spacecraft for missions ranging from inspecting dead satellites to extending the life of an operational satellite. Starfish reported that it has raised nearly $21 million…
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Starfish Space wins $15M NASA award for a SSPICY mission to visit dead satellites
An artist’s conception shows Starfish Space’s Otter spacecraft in orbit. (Starfish Space Illustration) Tukwila, Wash.-based Starfish Space has won a three-year, $15 million contract from NASA for a mission aimed at doing up-close inspections of defunct satellites in orbit. Such inspections, to be carried out using Starfish’s Otter spacecraft starting in 2027, could blaze a…