If all goes to schedule, SpaceX will launch the giant Jupiter 3/EchoStar XXIV satellite today (July 26th). The launch, from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, will see two Falcon 9 booster rockets re-land simultaneously after launch. SpaceX is using one of its Falcon 9 ‘Heavy’ version rockets which means the central booster will be […]
The Amazon-funded Project Kuiper mega-constellation of more than 3,000 low Earth orbiting broadband satellites, is promising download speeds of up to 400 Mb/s, significantly ahead of SpaceX’s Starlinks. Amazon has earmarked some $10 billion (€9.24bn) for the scheme. Most Starlink users report download speeds of around 100-150 Mb/s. There is no quoted certainty, but users […]
Around 26,104 smallsats (satellites <500 kg) will be launched between 2023-2032, representing a daily launch mass of 1.5 tons over the 10-year period, according to strategy consulting and market intelligence firm Euroconsult. Two constellations alone – Starlink (SpaceX) and GuoWang (China SatNet) – will collectively account for nearly two-thirds of smallsats to be launched throughout […]
Eutelsat 10B, the latest addition to the Paris-based satellite operator’s fleet, is now serving customers from its 10 degrees East orbital slot. Clients include In-Flight communications operators. Responding to strong growth in demand for mobile connectivity, Eutelsat 10B is carrying two multi-beam High-Throughput Satellite (HTS) Ku-band payloads: a payload covering the North Atlantic corridor, Europe, […]
Oxfordshire, UK-based RAL Space, which has a reputation for carrying out world-class science research and technology development in space-related missions, is building a giant vacuum test chamber for satellites. RAL Space, the newish name for the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, has some 335 skilled engineers working at the Harwell Campus in Didcot, Oxfordshire. It is a […]
The Amazon-backed Project Kuiper low Earth orbiting (LEO) broadband satellite system moved a major step closer with the establishment of a satellite processing and test facility in Florida. Kuiper is investing $120 million in a 100,000 sq ft factory which is being built near the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. Kuiper received its FCC licence […]
A satellite launched at the beginning of May 2023 has suffered a problem in orbit. Arcturus was launched with its main mission to provide broadband services to serve Alaska with broadband. However, San Francisco-based Astranis, which owns the craft, has revealed that it has suffered problems with the satellite’s solar panels. Astranis CEO John Gedmark […]
SpaceX lofted 22 second-generation ‘V2-Mini’ Starlink broadband satellites into orbit in the evening of July 23rd (at 23.09pm UTC). After lift-off from Space Launch Complex 40, the Falcon 9 headed south-east, targeting an orbit inclined at 43 degrees to the equator. The cargo element separated from the second stage about two and a half minutes […]
UK telco BT and low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite company OneWeb, in partnership with the UK government, are now delivering high-speed, low-latency Internet connectivity to Lundy Island, North Devon, providing it with reliable connectivity for the first time. Sitting 19 kilometres off the coast of North Devon, Lundy is the first real-world example of how BT […]
Satellites can enhance 5G networks by solving coverage and challenging use cases beyond ground-based infrastructure, according to trade body 5G Americas, which has released its Update on 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks, covering current developments in the growth of partnerships and technologies relating to non-terrestrial network integration with 5G networks, building on a previous whitepaper on this […]