Elon Musk’s SpaceX has applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for permission to erect up to 10 Starlink broadband receive terminals on up to 10 of its vessels, for test purposes. These nautical beta-user terminals will connect to SpaceX’s Starlink satellites which will be in contact with the company’s satellite-based broadband network. “In order […]
The normal buyers of Phased Array satellite antennas are usually the military or public-service operators, or aircraft, train or bus operators. Their budgets can afford the thousands of dollars for a single installation. But if the plans of SpaceX (and rivals OneWeb and Project Kuiper) are to have any mass-market consumer impact, these costs must […]
Turkey’s transport & information minister, Adil Karaismailoglu, says that the launch of its Airbus-built Turksat 5A satellite will take place on November 30th. The launch will be handled by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral. The satellite will be positioned at 31 degrees East and give Turksat 5A a coverage area that encompasses […]
The weather could prove a problem but SpaceX is currently planning a launch on September 17th of its latest batch of 60 Starlink broadband satellites. Launch time is at 2.17pm (EDT) from Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre. But the US Air Force has issued a cautionary note saying that the remnants of Hurricane Sally is still […]
SpaceX has been awarded a satellite launch contract for a Turkish craft, Turksat 5A. Ali Taha Koç, head of the country’s Presidential Digital Transformation Office, said the satellite is being built by Airbus Defense and Space, among the pioneers in aerospace technology. “With Turksat 5A, Turkey will have a coverage area that encompasses the Middle […]
Most satellites that depend on chemical propulsion once in orbit are designed with an orbit lifetime of some 12-15 years. However, electrical propulsion can dramatically extend that life in orbit. Turksat is using Airbus Defence & Space to build its latest craft, Turksat 5A which is scheduled for launch in later this year by SpaceX. […]
Elon Musk’s goal of getting a debut broadband-by-satellite service up and running this year achieved another milestone on September 3rd when an additional 60 of SpaceX’s Starlink craft were launched from the Kennedy Space Centre. The launch was the 12th mission for the Starlink fleet overall and the 10th this year and occurred at 08.46 […]
SpaceX scrubbed the September 1st launch of 60 Starlink broadband satellites, saying they would be examining data prior to the rescheduled launch. The new launch is set for September 3rd at 08.46 am Florida time. The SpaceX rocket will carry 60 Starlink broadband satellites from Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. […]
SpaceX scrubbed a planned launch of a Falcon 9 rocket on Aug 30th because of weather anxieties. It is rescheduled for today, September 1st. The SpaceX rocket will carry 60 Starlink broadband satellites from Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. Launch time is scheduled for 09.29 am Florida time (13.29 GMT). […]
There are now three major would-be mega-constellation low Earth orbit satellite developers: Elon Musk’s Starlink, Jeff Bezos’ Project Kuiper and the UK/India joint-venture OneWeb (should it emerge from bankruptcy). The missing link for each of them is a very low-cost phased array antenna to bring satellite broadband to the mass market. Which is perhaps where […]