SpaceX steps into the small satellite game with a dedicated rideshare program

The way small satellites and scientific instruments find their way into space these days is generally by hitching a ride on large rockets carrying hefty payloads, wherever they can be squeezed in. But some are looking to change that, with NAS… Continue reading SpaceX steps into the small satellite game with a dedicated rideshare program

L Band Satellite Antennas Revealed

[SignalsEverywhere] has a lot of satellite antennas and he’s willing to show them off — inside and out — in his latest video that you can see below. Using software-defined radio techniques, you can use these antennas to pull off weather satellite images and other space signals.

A lot of …read more

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Retrotechtacular: The OSCAR 7 Satellite Died and was Reborn 20 Years Later

If I were to ask you what is the oldest man-made orbiting satellite still in use, I’d expect to hear a variety of answers. Space geeks might mention the passive radar calibration spheres, or possibly one of the early weather satellites. But what about the oldest communication satellite still in …read more

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Satellite-connected tags keep more detailed tabs on tiger sharks for longer

A new electronic tag developed by ESA and other partners has been attached to four tiger sharks in the Caribbean in a test of a new satellite-connected fish tracking system. Described by the space agency as cheaper and more animal friendly, t… Continue reading Satellite-connected tags keep more detailed tabs on tiger sharks for longer

France's new space command considers using lasers to protect satellites

France is considering using lasers to protect its military space assets

France has announced it will expand its military space assets and defend them using systems that may include anti-satellite lasers. In a speech before the Commandement de Défense Aérienne et des Opérations Aériennes (Command of air defense and air operations, CDAOA) at Air Base 942 Lyon Mont-Verdun, the Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly said that the government will spend an additional €700 million (US$780 million) by 2025 to produce new surveillance satellites with self-defense capabilities.

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Inside the Mysterious Global Navigation Outage You Probably Didn’t Notice

The entire world has come to depend on satellite navigation systems in the forty or so years since the first Global Positioning System satellites took to orbit. Modern economies have been built on the presumption that people and assets can be located to within a meter or better anywhere on, …read more

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White dwarf supernova observation is a first for NASA's TESS mission

Artist concept of the TESS spacecraft which recently observed a supernova and the elemental content of ...

NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) was built to search for new planets, but astronomers at Ohio State discovered that it could also observe supernovas created by exploding white dwarf stars. This development means we might soon have a better idea about why they explode, and what they leave behind in the process.

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NASA funds demonstrator mission to print and assemble spacecraft in orbit

In a move that may one day lead to satellites that can build other satellites, NASA has agreed to a US$73.7 million contract with Made in Space of Mountain View, California to launch a demonstrator spacecraft that will manufacture and assembl… Continue reading NASA funds demonstrator mission to print and assemble spacecraft in orbit