Iridium Aims to Save Airlines Money
with New Traffic-Tracking Satellites (Source: Globe and Mail)
The dozens of Iridium satellites that orbit the Earth are notable for
two things: the flashes of light they emit when the sun strikes them
just so, and the $1.5-billion (U.S.) bankruptcy that followed their
launch in the late 1990s.
The former Motorola-backed company, now known as Iridium Communications
Inc., hopes the 66 satellites it will begin launching in December will
have a greater legacy: allowing around-the-globe surveillance of the
world’s airline traffic.
The satellites, which will orbit the Earth 780 kilometers high, will
carry devices that broadcast aircraft speed and locations to
air-traffic controllers on the ground, allowing planes to save fuel by
flying closer together and on more precise routes. (8/30)
KitKat, Red Bull and Confused.com: the
Brand Space Race (Source: Marketing)
The commercialization of space is inevitable, argues British astronomer
Chris Impey, and it's big brand founders like Richard Branson, Elon
Musk and Jeff Bezos who will be taking the biggest leaps for mankind. Click here.
(8/31)
Loral Studies Satellite Self-Assembly
for DARPA (Source: Aviation Week)
A robotic arm that rides into space as part of a satellite to complete
its assembly on orbit, then reconfigure and repair the spacecraft
throughout its life, is the concept behind a new DARPA study awarded to
Space Systems/Loral (SSL). The Dragonfly project is an outgrowth of
DARPA’s Phoenix program to demonstrate robotic servicing and
repurposing of spacecraft in geostationary orbit (GEO). (8/31)
Perth Mum Pushes for Better Space
Education in Australia (Source: West Australian)
It may seem out of this world, but by 2020 Australian students could be
attending space school. If your child dreams of becoming an astronaut
or being involved with the likes of NASA or Virgin Galactic, Brenda van
Rensburg may hold the key to making that dream a reality.
The Perth mum is working to convince Australia that ‘space’ is a
subject that should be on the national school curriculum. Why? To
prepare the children of our future for whatever technological advances
that come our way. A former professional golfer, Brenda quit her
sporting career to focus on something ‘more rewarding’. “I enjoy golf
but I can’t say I love it,” she told Yahoo7. (8/31)
NASA Kicks Off Scientific Ballooning
Campaign in New Mexico (Source: NASA)
Mars-bound microbes, student experiments, and cosmic ray measuring
equipment and are just some of the items getting a lift to near-space
courtesy NASA’s scientific ballooning program. Four NASA scientific
balloon flights will carry multiple payloads containing science
instruments and experiments to altitudes upward of 120,000 feet above
99.5 percent of the Earth’s atmosphere during NASA’s upcoming balloon
campaign in Fort Sumner, New Mexico, which is scheduled to begin August
31. (8/31)
US-China Space Freeze May Thaw with
Historic New Experiment (Source: Space.com)
A Chinese experiment is being readied for launch toward the
International Space Station (ISS) in what could be the forerunner of a
larger space-cooperation agenda between the United States and China.
NanoRacks has signed a historic agreement with the Beijing Institute of
Technology to fly Chinese DNA research to the orbiting outpost next
year. No commercial Chinese payload has ever flown to the orbiting lab
before. Click here.
(8/31)
Boeing-Built Satellite Will Create
First Global High-Speed Broadband Network (Source: Boeing)
When the third Boeing-built Inmarsat-5 satellite, which is now in
orbit, becomes fully operational later this year it will provide the
technology and coverage necessary for worldwide high-speed broadband
access. Inmarsat-5 F3 sent signals from space following its launch yesterday on
an International Launch Services Proton Breeze M launch vehicle. After
reaching final orbit, the spacecraft will undergo testing and checkout
before becoming operational.
“The Inmarsat Global Xpress network will be the first high-speed
Ka-band broadband network to span the world,” said Rupert Pearce, CEO,
Inmarsat. “New technology and engineering design will allow us to steer
capacity where it’s needed most and adjust to shifting subscriber usage
patterns and evolving demographics over the minimum 15-year life span
of the network. We can now look forward to the introduction of global
GX commercial services by the end of this year.”
Each of the three Inmarsat-5 satellites use fixed narrow spot beams to
deliver higher speeds through more compact terminals. Steerable beams
direct additional capacity in real-time to where it’s needed to provide
seamless, global broadband communications coverage to Inmarsat users
worldwide on land, at sea, and in the air. The first two Inmarsat-5
Global Xpress satellites were launched December 2013 and February 2015,
respectively. A fourth Boeing-built Inmarsat-5 (F4) is scheduled for
delivery in mid-2016. (8/29)
Earth's Minerology Unique in the Cosmos
(Source: Space Daily)
New research from a team led by Carnegie's Robert Hazen predicts that
Earth has more than 1,500 undiscovered minerals and that the exact
mineral diversity of our planet is unique and could not be duplicated
anywhere in the cosmos.
Minerals form from novel combinations of elements. These combinations
can be facilitated by both geological activity, including volcanoes,
plate tectonics, and water-rock interactions, and biological activity,
such as chemical reactions with oxygen and organic material. (8/31)
Astronaut to Try Sub-millimeter
Precision Task on Earth from Space (Source: Space Daily)
Early September will see the very first force-feedback-based
teleoperation of a rover-based robotic arm system on Earth from the
International Space Station, orbiting 400 km above our heads. Danish
ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen will take control of the Interact
Centaur rover, which incorporates a pair of arms to perform precision
operations.
In the process Andreas will make use of haptic control - providing him
with force feedback to let him feel for himself as the robotic arms
encounter resistance. In this way, he can perform dexterous mechanical
assembly tasks in the sub-millimeter range, remote-controlled from
space. (8/31)
Lifetime Achievement and Rising Star
Awards at Space Club Meeting (Source: NSCFL)
The National Space Club Florida Committee (NSCFL) recently announced
that Bob Lang, Conrad Nagel and Norm Perry are the 2015 annual Lifetime
Achievement Award recipients. They will be recognized for their
distinguished roles in the space community at the September 8, monthly
luncheon meeting. 1st LT Michael McClelland will also be recognized as
the 2015 Rising Star Honoree. The event will be held at the Radisson at
the Port, Cape Canaveral, at 11:30 am. (8/31)
Carmack Laments Rocket Work "Left
Undone" (Source: D Magazine)
The founder of Armadillo Aerospace hints he may some day return to the
space industry. John Carmack said in a recent interview he spent 10
years and $8 million on the suborbital launch vehicle company, but
acknowledged the company was not a success. Armadillo went into
"hibernation" in 2013, and some former Armadillo employees are now
working for another suborbital vehicle startup, Exos Aerospace. "There
is that ache of something left undone there," said Carmack, now the CTO
of Facebook-owned virtual reality company Oculus. "I miss the
physicality of building things, and the raw rumbling power of rocket
ships." (8/30)
Getting There is Still the Hardest Part
(Source: Space Review)
While interest in smallsats continues to grow, one factor limiting
their growth is launch access. Jeff Foust reports on developments in
both dedicated and secondary launches of such satellites discussed at a
recent conference. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2818/1
to view the article. (8/31)
"The Martian" Message (Source:
Space Review)
Many space advocates are hoping public interest in the upcoming movie
"The Martian" can translate into interest in real space exploration.
Eric Sterner offers a cautionary word, arguing that a good story about
a fictional Mars mission doesn't mean people will start clamoring for
the real thing. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2817/1
to view the article. (8/31)
A Very British Coup: Lessons From the
Draft UK Regulations for CubeSats (Source: Space Review)
The British government, seeking to play catch up in the global space
industry, has drafted new regulations that would streamline the
licensing of some smallsats. Christopher Newman and Michael Listner
explain how those regulations would work and how they compare with
existing smallsat regulations in the US. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2816/1
to view the article. (8/31)
No comments:
Post a Comment