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Dec182022 by adminNo Comments

SpaceX launches NASA’s water topography satellite into orbit

Science

Dec. 16 (UPI) -- The Surface Water and Ocean Topography satellite launched Friday morning from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The SpaceX 9 rocket lifted off at 6:47 a.m., launching the mission that will provide NASA's first global survey of water on Earth's surface, measuring the elevation of water in major lakes, rivers and wetlands while observing ocean features in higher definition than ever before. The data will help researchers better understand the availability of Earth's freshwater resources, track regional sea level changes and monitor coastal processes. "Once in orbit, SWOT will measure the height of water in freshwater bodies and the ocean on more than 90% of Earth's surface," NASA officials said in a statement. "This information will provide insights into how th...

Dec182022 by adminNo Comments

SpaceX launches two broadband satellites for Luxembourg firm

Science

Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Elon Musk's SpaceX launched two high-power broadband satellites for a Luxembourg firm's new communications system toward orbit Friday evening from Florida. The Falcon 9 rocket's second stage was to place the first two O3b mPOWER satellites into orbit to join Luxembourg-based SES's 20 first-generation O3b Internet satellites. SES is a satellite telecommunications network with 67 currently operational satellites under its control in both geostationary orbit and medium Earth orbit. Five of those are part of a group called O3b, also referred to as O3b MEO. O3b stands for "Other 3 Billion" in recognition of the billions of people without access to reliable Internet service. According to Boeing and SES, the new satellites use a "software-defined payload," which will allow them...

Nov42022 by adminNo Comments

SpaceX launches broadcast satellite to serve Europe, Africa, Middle East

Science

Nov. 3 (UPI) -- SpaceX Thursday put the Hotbird 13G satellite into orbit for Eutelsat to bolster broadcast systems across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In a statement Eutelsat said, "Once into orbit and positioned, the satellite Eutelsat Hotbird 13G will, with its twin Eutelsat Hotbird 13F launched on Oct. 15, reinforce and enhance the broadcast of more than a thousand television channels into homes across Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East. Moreover, the two satellites will offer advanced features in terms of uplink signal protection and resilience." The Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched at 1:22 a.m. EST from Cape Canaveral, Florida, according to Eutelsat. Eutelsat's statement said that the satellite "was successfully launched into Geostationary Transfer Orbit." It was...

Jan212022 by adminNo Comments

ULA launches two new Space Force tracking satellites into orbit

Science

ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 21 (UPI) -- United Launch Alliance sent two space tracking satellites into orbit for the U.S. Space Force from Florida on Friday afternoon. The Atlas V rocket lifted off as planned at 2 p.m. EST into a mostly cloudy sky from Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station near Kennedy Space Center. The single solid rocket booster strapped to the rocket also ignited, contributing to the rocket's fiery plume. The satellites, GSSAP-5 and GSSAP-6, are to join four similar spacecraft in a high orbit around the Earth. They are designed to track manmade objects, or other spacecraft, in orbit. Two minutes after liftoff, ULA launch commentator Patrick Moore said the rocket was "38 miles in altitude, 35 miles downrange in distance and traveling at 4,200 miles per hour." The la...

Jun42021 by adminNo Comments

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches cargo to space station

Science

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla., June 3 (UPI) -- SpaceX launched tiny squids, medical experiments and improved solar panels for the International Space Station from Florida on Thursday afternoon. The 7,300-pound cargo mission rose into a mostly cloudy sky aboard a Falcon 9 rocket as planned at 1:29 p.m. EDT from Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. Eight minutes after launch, SpaceX recovered the first-stage booster by landing it on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. "We're actually flying a new booster this mission," Sarah Walker, the company's director of mission management for the Dragon capsule, said at a press conference Wednesday. "This is the 17th mission that SpaceX has launched just in this front half of 2021 ... and the first one that's on a new booster." SpaceX reuses first-stage ...