Tag: Starlink
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SpaceX wins $28.7M contract from Air Force for data connectivity research
SpaceX’s plan for global broadband satellite coverage calls for using sets of satellites orbiting at different altitudes. (PatentYogi via YouTube) SpaceX has won a $28.7 million fixed-price contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory for experiments in data connectivity involving ground sites, aircraft and space assets — a project that could give a boost to the…
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Report: SpaceX raising $500M to get Starlink satellite service off the ground
SpaceX’s two prototype Starlink satellites are seen on either side of their carrier in advance of their launch in February. (SpaceX via YouTube) SpaceX is set to raise $500 million in new investment to boost the development of its Starlink internet satellite service, The Wall Street Journal reported today. The funding round sets the California-based…
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FCC OKs SpaceX’s plan for 7,500 satellites in very low Earth orbit (and its rivals’ plans)
An artist’s conception shows a constellation of satellites in orbit. (OneWeb Illustration) The Federal Communications Commission today gave the go-ahead for SpaceX to operate a constellation of more than 7,500 broadband access satellites in very low Earth orbit — and also gave the go-ahead for other satellite constellations chasing similar markets. SpaceX’s plan to put 7,518…
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SpaceX sets its sights on a lower orbit for Starlink broadband network’s first satellites
SpaceX’s satellite plan suggests that Starlink spacecraft would be placed in two different sets of orbits, with an intial wave of satellites at an altitude of 550 kilometers. (PatentYogi via YouTube) SpaceX wants to lower the bar for its first batch of Starlink broadband satellites, with the aim of beginning deployment by the end of…
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SpaceX reorganizes Starlink satellite operation, reportedly with high-level firings
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, sending the first two Starlink demonstration satellites into orbit. (SpaceX via YouTube) SpaceX says it has reorganized its satellite development operation in Redmond, Wash., to accelerate design and testing of the elements for its planned satellite broadband constellation — and high-level departures…
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SpaceX is reportedly looking for a $500M loan — and a few good Seattle baristas
An artist’s conception shows SpaceX’s BFR in flight. (SpaceX Illustration) Bloomberg News is quoting unnamed sources as saying that SpaceX is seeking to borrow $500 million in the leveraged loan market with Goldman Sachs’ help. Today’s report said that Goldman Sachs Group is leading the talks with potential investors this week. Neither Goldman Sachs nor…
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SpaceX’s prototype internet satellites are good enough for gaming, Elon Musk says
A camera mounted on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket shows the deployment of two prototype Starlink satellites in February. (Elon Musk via Twitter) It’s been three months since SpaceX launched the first prototype satellites for its Starlink broadband internet network, and there’s been precious little information about what they’re up to. Until today. Responding to a…
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FCC approves SpaceX’s plan to provide broadband services with Starlink satellites
SpaceX’s two prototype Starlink satellites are seen on either side of their carrier in advance of February’s launch. (SpaceX via YouTube) The Federal Communications Commission says it has approved SpaceX’s application to provide broadband internet access via thousands of Starlink satellites — a new breed of spacecraft that’s currently under development at the company’s…
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SpaceX launches its first Starlink internet satellites (and Spain’s Paz satellite, too)
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket blasts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. (SpaceX via YouTube) SpaceX put its first two prototype Starlink broadband satellites into orbit along with a Spanish radar imaging satellite today. The launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California came at 6:17 a.m. PT Thursday, 24 hours after strong upper-level…
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FCC Chairman Ajit Pai endorses SpaceX’s plan for satellite broadband service
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is on board with SpaceX’s satellite plan. (Flickr Photo / FCCDotGov) SpaceX’s plan to beam broadband services to America and the world via its Starlink satellite constellation got a big thumbs-up today from Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Pai’s endorsement isn’t exactly a surprise: The FCC already has…