communications | Common News Update

Mar242021 by adminNo Comments

SpaceX launch sends 23rd Starlink communications satellite cluster

Science

ORLANDO, Fla., March 24 (UPI) -- SpaceX launched 60 more Starlink broadband communications satellites before dawn on Wednesday, from Florida. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket carrying the satellites occurred at Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The weather was cooperative for the 23rd Starlink mission. Advertisement "Deployment of 60 Starlink satellites confirmed," Space tweeted.[embedded content] "This was the sixth launch and landing of this Falcon 9 first stage booster, which previously supported launch of GPS-III Space Vehicle 03, Turksat 5A, and three Starlink missions," the company added. "One half of Falcon 9's fairing supported the Sentinel-6A mission and the other supported a previous Starlink mission." There was no room for delay on the Starlink launch because the...

Mar112021 by adminNo Comments

SpaceX launches 21st Starlink communications satellite cluster

Science

ORLANDO, Fla., March 11 (UPI) -- SpaceX successfully launched 60 Starlink satellites early Thursday from Florida on a first-stage booster rocket that previously carried two astronauts into space. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket occurred as scheduled at 3:13 a.m. EST from Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Advertisement The launch was planned as SpaceX seeks permission from the Federal Communications Commission to beam Starlink service to terminals on trucks, boats and aircraft -- in addition to the current home and office setups.[embedded content] SpaceX has little room for delays on Starlink launches because the company targets a specific orbital location for each mission. If a mechanical or weather issue had prompted a delay, another attempt was planned for Friday at 2:51...

Nov172020 by adminNo Comments

France seeks drones to detect, intercept battlefield radio communications

Business

Nov. 16 (UPI) -- The French Defense Ministry seeks an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of intercepting radio communications transmitters, a request for proposal indicates. A "call for projects for a mini-payload of electronic support on drones" was revealed by France's Defense Innovation Agency for "an electronic support payload that can be integrated into drones with a maximum take-off mass of less than" 55 pounds. Advertisement "This payload must be able to detect, locate, identify or even interact with or block telecommunications transmitters," the agency said in a press release on Friday. The agency referred to its project as "Sauron," named after the all-seeing eye in the book series "The Lord of the Rings." It is budgeted for $ 473,000. It cites a January 2021 deadline for submissio...

Oct12020 by adminNo Comments

SpaceX aims for Starlink communications satellite cluster launch

Science

ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 1 (UPI) -- SpaceX will try again Thursday to launch 60 Starlink communications satellites from Florida after the mission was postponed twice due to bad weather. Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket is planned at 9:17 a.m. EDT from Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. The mission faces only a 30% chance that thick clouds will cause a problem, according to a U.S. Space Force forecast. Advertisement SpaceX had called off an attempt to launch those satellites Monday due to thick clouds in the area. A launch Sept. 17 was scrubbed due to anticipated problems recovering the first-stage booster in the Atlantic Ocean. The successful launch of the 60 satellites would boost the Starlink total in orbit to well over 700. More Starlink satellites have been launched, but at least 27 of th...

Jul202020 by adminNo Comments

SpaceX launches South Korean communications satellite

Science

ORLANDO, Fla., July 20 (UPI) -- SpaceX launched South Korea's first communications satellite to be dedicated for military use Monday evening from Florida. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off as planned at 5:30 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station into a partly cloudy sky and headed over the Atlantic Ocean. The mission had been postponed twice over the last week. Advertisement SpaceX confirmed the satellite deployed at 32 minutes, 49 seconds into the flight. SpaceX successfully recovered the first stage booster of rocket, which landed on a barge in the ocean about 350 miles east of the launch site. The booster is the same one that launched astronauts to the International Space Station on May 31. Two recovery ships were to attempt recovery of the fairings, or halves of the rocket nose cone, ...