NASA’s interest in sending missions to Mars and beyond continues as the agency just tapped private space company Blue Origin to help it reach the Red Planet.
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.
There’s a lot of junk orbiting our planet, from tiny flecks of paint to defunct rocket stages.
Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket is currently grounded, but that’s not stopping the Jeff Bezos-led company from making plans. A future flight in 2024 will feature an all-women crew led by Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos’ partner Lauren Sánchez.