Tag: satellites
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Blue Origin plans to test Blue Ring space platform on Pentagon’s DarkSky-1 mission
An artist’s conception shows the Blue Ring logistics vehicle in orbit. (Blue Origin Illustration) Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture says that technology for its Blue Ring orbital platform will be put to the test during an upcoming mission sponsored by the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit. Blue Ring is a multi-mission, multi-orbit vehicle that’s being…
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Lumen Orbit emerges from stealth and raises $2.4M to put data centers in space
An artist’s conception shows Lumen Orbit’s satellite in space. (Lumen Orbit Illustration) Bellevue, Wash.-based Lumen Orbit, a startup that’s only about three months old, says that it’s closed a $2.4 million pre-seed investment round to launch its plan to put hundreds of satellites in orbit, with the goal of processing data in space before it’s…
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SpaceX launches the first set of Starlink satellites for T-Mobile’s direct-to-cell plan
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket sends Starlink satellites to space from a California launch pad. (SpaceX via Twitter/X) The first satellites capable of providing direct-to-cellular service via SpaceX’s Starlink network and T-Mobile’s cellular network have been sent into orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Six of the cell-capable satellites were among a batch of 21…
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Amazon reveals a secret about its Project Kuiper satellites: They’re using laser links
This graphic shows how Project Kuiper would use optical signaling between satellites. (Amazon Illustration) Ending years of speculation, Amazon has acknowledged that its Project Kuiper satellites will use laser-based links to communicate with each other, and says the system has already been successfully tested in orbit. Such a system — known as optical inter-satellite links,…
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Team of rivals: Amazon makes a deal with SpaceX for three Kuiper satellite launches
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launches a set of Starlink satellites on Nov. 27. Amazon has struck a deal to use Falcon 9 rockets for some of its Project Kuiper satellites as well. (SpaceX Photo) Amazon’s Project Kuiper may be a competitor for SpaceX’s Starlink satellite broadband network, but business is business: Amazon says it has…
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Amazon says Project Kuiper satellites ace orbital tests — including video streaming
A flight director watches over Project Kuiper’s mission operations center in Redmond, Wash. (Amazon Photo) Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellite network streamed its first video and facilitated its first online sale during a monthlong series of orbital tests that the company says achieved a “100% success rate.” The performance of the two prototype satellites, known as…
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Starfish Space scrubs plan for a satellite rendezvous after thruster suffers anomaly
An artist’s conception shows Starfish Space’s Otter Pup spacecraft in orbit. (Starfish Space Illustration) Five months after a tilt-a-whirl spin spoiled the debut of Starfish Space’s first spacecraft, the Tukwila, Wash.- based startup has halted efforts to put its Otter Pup back on track to demonstrate an on-orbit satellite rendezvous. Starfish had to abandon its…
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Amazon says Project Kuiper satellites are maneuvering the way they were built to do
Amazon’s Hall-effect thruster fires up with a krypton glow during testing. (Amazon Photo) A month after the launch of its first prototype Project Kuiper satellites, Amazon reports that the spacecraft have demonstrated controlled maneuvering in orbit using their custom-built electric propulsion systems. “A recent series of test firings provided critical on-orbit data to further validate…
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Atlas V rocket launches prototype Amazon satellites to test Project Kuiper network
United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket launches Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellites. (ULA via YouTube) Amazon’s first satellites were launched today on a mission aimed at testing out the hardware and software for the Seattle company’s worldwide Project Kuiper broadband internet constellation. Two prototype satellites — known as KuiperSat 1 and 2 — rode a United…
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Amazon satellites are placed atop Atlas V rocket for milestone launch on October 6
The Amazon Kuiper Protoflight payload arrives at United Launch Alliance’s Vertical Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. (ULA Photo) United Launch Alliance says the first prototype satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper broadband network have been placed atop their Atlas V rocket, with launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida…