Satellite manufacturer Terran Orbital has been awarded a hefty contract by Rivada Space Networks to build 288 low Earth orbit satellites, and 12 spare satellites, for its communications constellation.
In an effort to stifle Elon Musk’s Starlink, researchers in China are planning to launch their own fleet. The proposed megaconstellation has no set launch date, but is expected to consist of 12,992 satellites equipped with technologies to conduct surveillance on Starlink, among other capabilities.
Patrick Pleul / POOL / AFP/Yasuyoshi CHIBA / AFP
ClearSpace, a Swiss space company, has secured clearance from the European Space Agency after the company’s first program review of its efforts to clear junk from Earth orbit by using a giant, four-armed robotic satellite to capture debris.
In August 2022, SpaceX violated a Federal Aviation Administration safety rule that’s meant to prevent collisions in low Earth orbit, but the proposed fine of $175,000 will hardly serve as a deterrent for a company owned by one of the richest people on Earth.
The Indian Space Research Organization successfully injected three satellites into orbit with a launch of its Small Satellite Launch Vehicle. It marked ISRO’s second attempt at launching the rocket, which ran into serious difficulties during its inaugural mission.
The Federal Communications Commission has granted approval to Amazon subsidiary Kuiper Systems to deploy its constellation of 3,236 broadband satellites. The approval comes with the caveat that Amazon must retire satellites seven years after deployment and report satellite launches to the FCC on a regular basis.
ESA/ID&Sense/ONiRiXEL, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
A mysterious Russian satellite that launched to space in 2014 has experienced its second breakup event. The cause of Kosmos-2499’s demise is unknown, and we may never find out the truth, given the satellite’s veiled and suspicious history.
A Falcon 9 lit up the Florida skies Monday night in what is now a very familiar scene.