There’s a new rocket launch company making headlines. Rocket Lab, founded in 2006 and originally based in Auckland, New Zealand (where it still makes its rockets), has SpaceX’s frequency and some of its client list in its sights. Rocket Lab is headed by c0-founder Peter Beck, who currently serves as the company’s CEO and CTO. […]
After a day’s delay, a SpaceX rocket placed the ninth batch of Starlink satellites into orbit at 5.21am, Florida time, on June 13th. The normal Starlink manifest is 60 satellites per launch, but on this flight there was also a cargo of three ‘piggyback’ satellites for San Francisco-based Planet Labs and its SkySat Earth observation […]
Would-be mega-constellation operator OneWeb, now in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, has a key date looming; June 26th is a deadline for final bids to be entered for either the whole business or parts of the company. The bankruptcy is being handled by a court in New York and, according to Space Intel Report (SIR), the original […]
Data shows that a high number of US broadband users would consider switching to Elon Musk’s Starlink service. An estimated 42 million Americans (16 million homes) do not have access to a broadband-level connection, double the FCC’s estimates, according to BroadbandNow – a data aggregation company helping consumers find their best broadband options. “In addition, […]
SpaceX is planning its third launch in just two weeks for June 12th, although as always, it is subject to the Florida weather. SpaceX intends to place another 60 of its Starlink satellites into orbit. Launch time is currently at 05.30-05.45 on Friday morning (Florida time). The launch will be the ninth mission for the […]
The FCC, somewhat unusually, seems to have changed its mind and it is the world’s operators of Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites which could benefit. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said on June 9th that the Commission had changed the text on its draft order. “We did accommodate a request from a commissioner (Commissioner O’Rielly) to […]
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is normally focused on launching satellites into orbit, plus a couple of astronauts now and again. But now he is targeting his all-new ‘Starship’ super-rocket, and flights carrying up to 100 people. Musk’s Starship is the vehicle which he wants to use to get missions to the Moon, and eventually Mars. He […]
SpaceX completed another flawless launch on June 3rd – and the recovery of its Falcon 9 first stage a few minutes later. It was the sixth SpaceX launch this year (the second in five days) and the fifth use of the first stage booster which some dubbed the ‘sooty launcher’. Sooty or not the whole […]
Following on from last weekend’s success with its two human passengers aboard the Crew Dragon mission to the International Space Station, SpaceX will launch 60 of its Starlink satellites on June 3rd. Currently, and weather permitting, the launch is planned for around 9.25pm Florida-time. However, SpaceX has a 60-minute launch window which opens at 8.55pm […]
SES currently has two core deployments of satellites: It has a fleet of powerful geostationary satellites that just about serves the whole planet. It also has 20 O3b (‘the Other 3 Billion’) satellites in Medium Earth Orbit, with seven new ‘super-power’ O3b satellites on order from Boeing, with deployment starting in 2021. The O3b fleet […]