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Tag: Starlink

  • Microsoft Launches Azure Space – Partners With SpaceX, SES

    Microsoft Launches Azure Space – Partners With SpaceX, SES

    Microsoft announced today that it is launching Azure Space to focus on the burgeoning space industry. Microsoft says that Azure Space will bring together Azure technology and an extensive network of expert partners offering solutions for the industry. Additionally, Microsoft announced a major collaboration with SpaceX to provide satellite-powered internet connectivity on Azure.

    “Today we’re launching Azure Space,” tweeted Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. “A thriving ecosystem of satellite providers is essential to meet the world’s growing network needs, and we’re expanding our offerings to provide access to satellite data and connectivity from Azure.”

    “Microsoft is taking the next giant leap in cloud computing – to space,” tweeted Azure head Tom Keene. “With the enormous challenges #space presents, there also comes great opportunity. Today, I am sharing details about our strategy for Azure Space.”

    Tom Keene, Corporate Vice President of Azure Global, further discusses Azure Space:

    Today, Microsoft is taking the next giant leap in cloud computing… to space. At Microsoft, our approach to space is different. This difference is evident across our platform, product, partnerships, and people.

    We’re very excited about about the partnership between Microsoft and SpaceX and all of the incredible innovation that it brings for our customers and all of the possibilities that it offers to the future.

    By building on new and existing partnerships within the space community, learning and leaning in to our culture of innovation and investing in people we are extending the Azure Edge capabilities with worldwide satellite connectivity.”

    “If you think about Microsoft which is empowering people and organizations to achieve more and then you put that with SES which about doing the extraordinary in space to deliver amazing experiences anywhere on Earth and just look at the intersection of this,” says the CEO of SES Networks JP Hemingway. “I’ve got these fantastic cloud capabilities, this great intelligence, and we want to get to as many people as we can around the globe. Then you add that to what SES is doing. It’s providing that vehicle to get to everybody around the world whether they’re floating, flying, or in really hard to reach places.”

    “What’s changing for space is that technology is propelling us forward,” says Azure Space Senior Director Steve Kitay. “Microsoft Azure Space is focusing on developing partnerships. There are many companies in the space community that have tremendous capabilities. We’re looking at bringing new and unique value along side those companies to the customers.”

    Microsoft Launches Azure Space – Partners With SpaceX, SES
  • SpaceX Launches 60 Starlink Satellites – Bullseye Sea Landing

    SpaceX Launches 60 Starlink Satellites – Bullseye Sea Landing

    SpaceX launched 60 Starlink satellites from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida Sunday morning.

    “You are watching a live webcast of our 14th Starlink mission,” said Andy Tran, a production supervisor at SpaceX. “It’s also our 18th mission this year. To date, we’ve launched more than 750 Starlink satellites to orbit. Starlink is a constellation of satellites that can provide high-speed low-latency internet all over the globe, particularly in remote areas where connectivity is limited or completely unavailable. Today we will be performing two second-stage burns and deploying our 60 Starlink satellites at approximately one hour into the mission. The two burns allow us to deploy our satellites into a circular orbit which in turn helps them get to their final orbit much quicker.”

    Starlink Deploys 60 Satellites To Orbit

    “Our first stage is going to make its way back to Earth to attempt landing for the sixth time on our droneship in the Atlantic Ocean,” says Tran. “Right down the middle, Falcon 9 has landed. This particular booster has landed for the sixth time. This marks our 62nd successful recovery of a Falcon 9 first stage and the 32nd time we’ve landed on this particular droneship, ‘Of Course, I Still Love You.’ A great way to start off a Sunday.

    Falcon 9’s first stage previously supported Crew Dragon’s first demonstration mission to the International Space Station, launch of the RADARSAT Constellation Mission, and three Starlink missions this year. Following stage separation, SpaceX landed Falcon 9’s first stage on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. Falcon 9’s fairing halves each previously supported two missions. The Starlink satellites deployed approximately 1 hour and 3 minutes after liftoff.

    “As our Starlink network is still in its early stages, the Starlink team continues to test the system, collecting latency data and performing speed tests of the service,” says the SpaceX team in a blog post. “The team also recently installed Starlinks on the Administrative Center building and about 20 private homes on the Hoh Tribe Reservation, located in a remote area of western Washington State where internet access is limited or completely unavailable.”

  • Starlink Satellites Ruin Astronomy Photos

    Starlink Satellites Ruin Astronomy Photos

    A Space X Starlink satellite is being blamed for ruining photos of the NEOWISE comet.

    Space X, Amazon and a number of other companies are racing to deploy networks of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites to provide high-speed internet access. Unfortunately, however, they may have a significant downside.

    Astronomers have warned that tens of thousands of objects orbiting the planet could have a disastrous impact on efforts to observe the universe. Many of the satellites are highly reflective, possibly creating light interference. Even ones designed not to be reflective, can still physically interfere with line-of-sight if their orbit takes them between an observer and the object being observed. It appears those concerns are not without merit.

    According to The International Business Times, astrophotographer Daniel Lopez was recording pictures of NEOWISE when Starlink comments passed in from of the comet. The end result was photos with light streaks from the satellites, effectively blocking a good shot of NEOWISE.

    As more and more companies gain permission to launch satellites, this issue will need to be addressed. Otherwise, astronomers may find their profession exponentially more difficult.

  • FCC Green Lights Amazon’s Kuiper Satellite Plans

    FCC Green Lights Amazon’s Kuiper Satellite Plans

    Amazon has received the green light to move forward with its plans to launch a satellite constellation to provide internet access.

    Amazon announced Project Kuiper last spring. The project is aimed at launching a satellite constellation in low earth orbit (LEO) to provide internet access to underserved communities around the world.

    In a 5-0 vote, the FCC has approved Amazon’s plans, giving the company the go-ahead to move forward. Initially, Kuiper will involve some 3,236 satellites.

    “We have heard so many stories lately about people who are unable to do their job or complete schoolwork because they don’t have reliable internet at home,” said Dave Limp, Senior Vice President, Amazon. “There are still too many places where broadband access is unreliable or where it doesn’t exist at all. Kuiper will change that. Our $10 billion investment will create jobs and infrastructure around the United States that will help us close this gap. We appreciate the FCC’s unanimous, bipartisan support on this issue, and I want to thank Chairman Pai and the rest of the Commission for taking this important first step with us. We’re off to the races.”

    Following the FCC’s decision, Amazon vowed to invest some $10 billion in the project, with the goal of creating jobs and investing in infrastructure. With this announcement, it seems Starlink may have some stiff competition to content with.

  • Starlink Internet Will Enter Beta In Three of Months

    Starlink Internet Will Enter Beta In Three of Months

    Good news for internet users: Starlink’s satellite internet will enter private beta in roughly three months.

    SpaceX’s Starlink satellite constellation will provide internet service to markets around the globe, including underserved areas. Unlike previous generations, where the satellites orbit some 22,000 miles above the Earth, Starlink’s satellites orbit a mere 340 miles high. Thanks to its low-Earth orbit, Starlink’s satellites will offer far higher speeds and very low latency. In addition, Starlink has received approval for 12,000 initial satellites, and 30,000 after that. As a result, Starlink will not experience the same bandwidth and throughput limitations that many existing providers have.

    In a tweet, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that private beta would begin soon, with a public beta a couple of months after that.

    Private beta begins in ~3 months, public beta in ~6 months, starting with high latitudes

    Elon Musk (@elonmusk) 4/22/20

    This is good news for internet users looking forward to a new era of connectivity.

  • FCC Approves Up to 1 Million Starlink Ground Antenna

    FCC Approves Up to 1 Million Starlink Ground Antenna

    Starlink just passed a major milestone in its plans to provide broadband internet via a constellation of satellites: approval for 1 million ground antenna.

    SpaceX, Elon Musk’s other company, has been launching the Starlink constellation of satellites in batches of as many as 60 at a time. Eventually, some 12,000 satellites will provide high-speed internet worldwide. In order for the system to work, however, there has to be a network of ground antenna to relay the signal to their final destinations.

    According to CNBC, “the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has authorized SpaceX to begin rolling out as many as 1 million of the ground antenna the company will need to connect users to its Starlink satellite internet network.”

    Each antenna will be roughly 19 inches across and should be fairly easy to recognize.

    “It looks like a UFO on a stick,” said Elon Musk, according to CNBC. “It’s very important that you don’t need a specialist to install. The goal is for … just two instructions and they can be done in either order: Point at sky, plug in.”

    Once operational, Starlink should be a good internet option for under-served communities, where cable, DSL, fiber or 5G are not viable options.

  • Musk Promises No Starlink Impact on Astronomy

    Musk Promises No Starlink Impact on Astronomy

    Elon Musk has promised that Starlink will have “zero” impact on astronomy amid growing concerns the satellites could impede researchers.

    Starlink is the satellite constellation that Musk’s other company, SpaceX, is sending into orbit. SpaceX is launching batches of dozens of satellites at a time. The company has initial permission to launch 12,000 satellites, with the goal being to eventually launch as many as 42,000 satellites, far more than the 2,000 active satellites currently in orbit. The company’s goal is to use the satellites to provide high-speed internet access to under-served communities around the world.

    Astronomers, however, have raised concerns that having that many satellites in orbit could severely impede research of the cosmos by preventing instruments from getting a clear view of the sky. As Digital Trends points out, this is especially a problem for long-exposure images, where the satellites show up as streaks. There are also concerns they could interfere with the radio waves astronomers rely on.

    According to Forbes, at the 2020 Satellite Conference, Elon Must insisted that Starlink will not cause problems and the company will be aggressive in addressing any issues.

    “I am confident that we will not cause any effect whatsoever in astronomical discoveries,” Musk said. “Zero. That’s my prediction. We’ll take corrective action if it’s above zero.”

    Musk highlighted the company’s work on using a darkening treatment to minimize reflections, and raised the possibility of a “sunshade.”

    “We’re launching a sunshade, changing the color of the satellite… aesthetically this should not be an impact.”

    It remains to be seen if SpaceX can deliver on Musk’s promise, although the future of the company’s planned expansion likely rides on the outcome.

  • SpaceX Plans to Spin Off Starlink, Offer IPO

    SpaceX Plans to Spin Off Starlink, Offer IPO

    Bloomberg is reporting Elon Musk’s SpaceX plans to spin off Starlink in an effort to help shake up the internet industry.

    SpaceX has already launched 240 of its Starlink satellites into space, and is moving forward in batches of 60 at a time. Once complete, the Starlink satellite network will provide high-speed internet access globally, beginning this summer. As Bloomberg points out, currently Starlink only covers higher latitudes, but expects to cover the entire globe by the end of the year.

    At a private investor event, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell indicated the company is ready to take the next step.

    “Right now, we are a private company, but Starlink is the right kind of business that we can go ahead and take public,” said Shotwell. “That particular piece is an element of the business that we are likely to spin out and go public.”

    Investors will likely welcome the move, especially given the company’s potential.

    “This is going to turn SpaceX into a company that is providing service to consumers, which we are excited about,” Shotwell said, while also saying the internet service will be “less than what you are paying now for about five to 10 times the speed you are getting.”

    nIf SpaceX is able to deliver on Shotwell’s promise, an independent Starlink could be game-changer, in terms of providing affordable, high-speed internet to underserved markets.

  • SpaceX Launches Third Batch Of Starlink Internet Satellites

    SpaceX Launches Third Batch Of Starlink Internet Satellites

    According to a press release, SpaceX has launched its third batch of Starlink satellites, including one with an experimental coating.

    Starlink is a group of satellites, or satellite constellation, aimed at providing high-speed, broadband internet across the globe. Eventually, as many as 12,000 satellites will be deployed to provide worldwide coverage. The third batch consisted of 60 satellites, for a total of 182 to date.

    There have been a number of concerns raised about the project. One of the biggest concerns is the growing problem of space debris. Another is that thousands of satellites reflecting sunlight could make it hard for astronomers to study deep space, not to mention interfere with radio waves.

    SpaceX is working to address all of these issues. For starters, the Starlink satellites orbit at 550 kilometers. The lower orbit helps ensure the satellites burn up in the atmosphere at the end of their life, rather than continuing in orbit for hundreds or thousands of years.

    The press release states that “on this flight, SpaceX is also testing an experimental darkening treatment on one satellite to further reduce the albedo of the body of the satellites.”

    Should the darkening treatment be successful, it should go a long way toward addressing astronomers’ concerns.