Tag: Telecom
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China’s Long March 6A rocket is making a mess in low-Earth orbit
The upper stage from a Chinese rocket that launched a batch of Internet satellites Tuesday has broken apart in space, creating a debris field of at least 700 objects in one of the most heavily-trafficked zones in low-Earth orbit. US Space Command, which tracks objects in orbit with a network of radars and optical sensors,…
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China begins launching a megaconstellation, and it sounds a lot like Starlink
Chinese officials have long signaled their interest in deploying a satellite network, or maybe several, to beam broadband Internet signals across China and other nations within its sphere of influence. Two serious efforts are underway in China to develop a rival to SpaceX’s Starlink network, which the Chinese government has banned in its territory. The…
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SpaceX’s Falcon rocket family reaches 200 straight successful missions
SpaceX’s launch of 51 more Starlink internet satellites Wednesday from California marked the 200th consecutive successful mission for the company’s Falcon rocket family, a record unmatched by any other space launch vehicle. The string of successes dates back to September 2016, when a Falcon 9 rocket exploded on a launch pad during pre-flight testing at…
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Amazon buys nine Atlas 5 launches for Kuiper broadband constellation
Nine Atlas 5 rockets will launch satellites for Amazon’s Kuiper internet network. Credit: United Launch Alliance Amazon has selected United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 rocket for nine missions from Cape Canaveral to deploy satellites for the Kuiper internet constellation, a fleet designed to eventually number more than 3,200 spacecraft, the companies announced Monday. The nine…
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SpaceX to ramp up Vandenberg launch cadence with Starlink missions
File photo of a Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, on Jan. 11, 2019. Credit: SpaceX After a lull in launches from America’s primary West Coast rocket base, SpaceX is set to resume a regular cadence of missions from Vandenberg Air Force Base as soon as July to deploy Starlink internet satellites…
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China’s first launch of 2021 orbits communications satellite
A Long March 3B rocket lifts off from the Xichang launch base with the Tiantong 1-03 satellite. Credit: CASC A Chinese Long March 3B rocket deployed the Tiantong 1-03 satellite to provide mobile communications services after a successful launch Tuesday, the first of more than 40 Chinese space missions set for liftoff in 2021. The…
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China launches mobile telecom satellite
A Long March 3B rocket takes off with the Tiantong 1-02 communications satellite. Credit: Xinhua A new Chinese mobile communications satellite launched Thursday on top of a Long March 3B rocket, joining a similar spacecraft launched four years ago to provide voice and data services to users on the go. The Tiantong 1-02 mobile communications…
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China launches three military spy satellites
A Long March 2C rocket takes off Monday from the Xichang launch base in China. Credit: Xinhua Three mysterious payloads widely believed to be signals intelligence satellites for the Chinese military rocketed into orbit on top of a Long March 2C booster Monday from a launch base in southwestern China. The three Yaogan 30-type satellites…
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Eutelsat investigating solar array ‘incident’ on new communications satellite
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated Oct. 25 with MEV-1 update. Artist’s concept of the Eutelsat 5 West B satellite orbit. Credit: Northrop Grumman A Eutelsat communications satellite launched Oct. 9 has suffered an “incident” with one of its two solar arrays, the Paris-based operator announced Thursday. Built by Northrop Grumman, the Eutelsat 5 West B satellite is designed…
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Documents suggest SpaceX may launch 30,000 more Starlink satellites
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated Oct. 16 with SpaceX confirmation of 30,000 satellites in the ITU filings. SpaceX launched the first 60 satellites for the company’s Starlink broadband network in May. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX is seeking approval to add up to 30,000 more satellites to its Starlink broadband network, on top of 12,000 spacecraft already authorized by U.S.…