Tag: Starlink
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Falcon Heavy and Starlink headline SpaceX’s upcoming manifest
With the all-important Demo-1 launch complete, SpaceX has quickly begun converting Pad 39A to ready it for Falcon Heavy flights. The launch provider is expected to fly not one but two Falcon Heavy missions within the coming months as part of an exciting manifest that also includes the first dedicated Starlink mission. Almost immediately following…
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SpaceX seeks FCC approval for up to 1M Starlink satellite earth stations
A simulation shows how a 4,425-satellite constellation could be deployed for SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service. (Mark Handley / University College London) SpaceX has opened a new window into its ambitious plans for a global satellite broadband data network, thanks to an earth-station license application filed with the Federal Communications Commission. The application, filed on behalf of…
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Telesat makes deals with Blue Origin and Loon for its internet satellite network
Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos and Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith flank Telesat CEO Dan Goldberg, who’s holding a model of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket. (Blue Origin via Twitter) Canada’s biggest satellite operator, Telesat, has signed agreements with Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture and Alphabet’s Loon aerial telecommunications venture to support its…
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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…