The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved SpaceX’s application to deploy up to 7,500 satellites but put other decisions on hold. SpaceX had sought approval to operate a network of 29,988 non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellites. “Specifically, we grant SpaceX authority to construct, deploy, and operate up to 7,500 satellites operating at altitudes of 525, […]
A trial has been launched to establish the extent to which satellites can be used to deliver high-speed connections to more than a dozen ‘very hard to reach’ UK locations – the less than one per cent of sites which are too difficult to upgrade via expensive physical cables in more extreme locations such as […]
A planned November 17th SpaceX launch of 52 Starlink satellites (Mission 2-4) from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California was scrubbed because of a glitch in a static test firing of the rocket’s booster. The launch of a Eutelsat (10B) will happen on November 21st (9.57pm Florida time). The cancelled Starlink launch would have […]
UK regulator Ofcom has already identified Elon Musk’s Starlink and Canadian operator Telesat for their innovative wireless and broadband services. Both Starlink and Telesat’s Lightspeed licences are being approved and extended. Additionally, Ofcom has issued its future plan to encourage and enable further innovation. Ofcom’s initiative includes a new strategy for supporting the space sector […]
SpaceX launched 53 Starlink satellites into orbit on Thursday night (October 27th, 9.14pm California time/1.14 am GMT, October 28th) from Vandenberg Space Force Base. It was SpaceX’s 49th launch this year. The Falcon 9’s first stage successfully landed on the ‘Of Course I Still Love You’ floating barge about 9 minutes after launch. It was […]
Starlink will start shipping its ‘Starlink for RVs’ flat high performance kit in December offering high-speed, low-latency internet on an as-needed basis in any destination where Starlink provides active coverage. Its active ‘high capacity’ coverage promise includes most of the US and Canada although about a quarter of the US from the Great Lakes down […]
The October 20th launch of 54 Starlink broadband satellites takes the total number in orbit to more than 3,500 craft. It was mission 4-36 for SpaceX’s Starlink deployments. SpaceX successfully landed the Falcon 9 booster rocket on the waiting floating barge, A Shortfall of Gravitas, some 650 km downrange for reuse in the future. The […]
Elon Musk’s Starlink broadband by satellite system is aggressively pursuing airline ‘direct-to-seat’ in-flight services. Starlink Aviation is promising connection speeds of up to 350 Mb/s (per aircraft) which it says is fast enough for video calls, online gaming and other high data rate activity. Starlink says it is offering connectivity to the world’s private jet […]
Starlink has formally applied for a GMPCS (Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite) licence from India’s Department of Trade (DoT). The service was previously ordered to refund potential subscribers after offering pre-orders before holding a licence. Starlink, once licensed, will join OneWeb (backed by Bharti Airtel) and Reliance’s Jio satellite division (which is working with […]
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch 54 Starlink satellites today, October 20th, from Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The instantaneous launch window is at 10:50 am ET (14:50 pm UTC), and a backup opportunity is available on Friday, October 21st at 10:29 a.m. ET (14:29 UTC). The […]