Gizmodo : Environment

Thousands of satellites are currently parked in low Earth orbit, with some that will eventually become defunct and fall back towards our planet’s atmosphere. As they reenter the atmosphere, satellites leave behind a trail of chemicals that eat away at the ozone layer. A new study warns against the growing number of…

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Gizmodo

NASA plays nicely with privately owned SpaceX, but is that something to be concerned about?

Gizmodo

Starlink satellite internet terminals are reportedly still operating in unlicensed places, despite the company’s warning last month that the service would be shut down by May 1 in those areas.

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Gizmodo

SpaceX is working with the National Reconnaissance Office to build a classified system of swarming spy satellites, according to a report published by Reuters. And while the $1.8 billion contract was reportedly signed in 2021, news of the program’s ties to NRO just leaked on Saturday—a great reminder that it’s entirely…

Gizmodo : Politics

The U.S. embassy in Russia issued a warning on Thursday that Americans should avoid large gatherings in Moscow for the next 48 hours. The embassy said it was over a potential terrorist threat in the city, but didn’t elaborate beyond mentioning concerts as a potential target. And now the embassy’s website appears to be…

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Gizmodo : Politics

Russian troops in Ukraine have allegedly been using SpaceX’s Starlink terminals to get internet access during the ongoing war that has seen hundreds of thousands of casualties on each side.

Gizmodo : Environment

In our top science stories this week, SpaceX must deorbit 100 Starlink satellites due to a flaw; a person in Oregon caught the bubonic plague from their pet cat; and the Perseverance rover’s SHERLOC instrument is on the fritz. Oh, and a grotesque AI interpretation of rat genitalia somehow made it past peer review.

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Gizmodo : Environment

An unspecified defect in early model Starlink satellites has prompted SpaceX to preemptively deorbit the units before they potentially fail and become hazards in low Earth orbit. While the company remains confident that the deorbiting of these problematic units will prevent any issues, this incident underscores the…

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Gizmodo

SpaceX is collaborating with agricultural industry giant John Deere to provide satellite internet connectivity, enabling its tractors to operate autonomously and communicate with each other in rural areas.

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Gizmodo

SpaceX used its Starlink satellites to send and receive a text message from low Earth orbit in an effort to expand its connectivity beyond the reach of traditional cell tower signals.

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