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SpaceX

SpaceX gets U.S. approval to deploy up to 7,500 satellites

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The US Federal Communications Commission i.e., FCC approved SpaceX proposal to deploy approximately 7,500 satellites on Thursday but put several other judgments on hold.

SpaceX
Image Source: moneycontrol.com

Starlink, a rapidly expanding network of over 3,500 low-Earth orbit satellites, has thousands of users across the United States thus far, with customers paying a minimum of 599 USD ‘for a user terminal as well as 110 USD per month for service. In 2018, the FCC approved SpaceX’s plans to launch up to 4,425 first-generation satellites.

Read More: Neuralink brain chip to begin human trials in 6 months

SpaceX has applied for permission to function a network of 29,988 satellites known as the “second-generation” or Gen2 Starlink constellation, which will transmit internet to areas that have limited or no internet access.

The FCC denied SpaceX’s entire application, which included the deployment of approximately 30,000 satellites in low Earth orbit, and imposed conditions on the firm’s plan to deploy the satellites. It postponed the decision to initiate launching the full number of applications.

“Our action will allow SpaceX to begin deployment of Gen2 Starlink, which will bring next-generation satellite broadband to Americans nationwide,” the FCC said in its approval order, adding it “will enable worldwide satellite broadband service, helping to close the digital divide on a global scale.”

The FCC said its decision “will protect other satellite and terrestrial operators from harmful interference and maintain a safe space environment” and protect “spectrum and orbital resources for future use.”

Source: reuters.com

A U.S. appeals court backed the FCC’s 2021 decision to allow SpaceX’s plan to deploy some Starlink satellites in a lower Earth orbit just as scheduled as the portion of its push to offer space-based broadband internet service.

In September, SpaceX filed a lawsuit against the FCC for denying it 885.5 million USD in rural broadband subsidies. Starlink’s technique has real promise according to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, but it is unable to meet the program’s requirements, citing data showing a gradual decline in the rate of speed over the past year and casting the service’s price as too high for consumers.

isro

ISRO Looking To Build A Design For New Reusable Rocket For Global Market.

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As we know that the expense of reaching into space is a major hindrance in space exploration and other space-related applications. So, a reusable rocket launched by ISRO would prove a great unanimous solution to attain low-cost, trustworthy, and on-demand space access.

India is allegedly forethinking about designing and building a brand-new reusable rocket for the global market, S Somanath, Division of Area Secretary and Indian Area Analysis Organisation in ISRO, announced through the Bangaluru Area Expo (BSX) 2022 on 5 September, Monday. The proximate launch automobile from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) afterward the GSLV Mk III launch could be a reusable one and it is predictable that it will cut back on the expense of launching satellites. The area firm will allegedly work with the area businesses, startups, and New Space India Restricted for the development of the said reusable rocket.

ISRO
Image Source: tosshub.com

During the seventh edition of Bengaluru Space Expo 2022 to support and encourage private space agencies, the chairman of the Indian research Space Organisation, S Somanath, declared his plans to design and develop a new reusable rocket according to a report by Press Trust of India (PTI), India’s primary news agency having reach as vast as Railways.

“…all of us want launches to be much cheaper than what we do today,”.

“So, the idea is the next rocket that we are going to build after GSLV Mk III should be a reusable rocket,” Somnath said.

“This is the idea and we are working on that idea. That idea cannot be ISRO’s alone. It has to be an industry’s idea. So, we will have to work with them in designing a new rocket, not only designing it, engineering it, manufacturing it and launching it as a commercial product and operating it in a commercial manner,” he added.

Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

Currently, it costs ISRO about 10,000 USD which is approximately 7,97,800 INR, and 15,000 USD which is about 11,96,800 INR to position a one-kilogram payload into orbit. Somanath apparently said that they can cut it down to up to 5,000 USD (about 3,98,000 INR) and 1,000 USD (about 79,700 INR) per kg and that the one procedure to take action may be to construct the rocket reusable. He also specified that currently, the nation does not possess reusable expertise in the launch autos division.

Indian Space Research Organization has been involved in several different applied sciences together with the Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator, in order to have a retro-propulsion to land the rocket back on earth, he confirmed adding that by integrating these latest applied sciences, the area firm wants to be a member of palms with industry, startups and its commercial arm NSIL (New Space India Limited) to develop a latest reusable rocket.

“We would like to see such a rocket, a rocket which will be competitive-enough, a rocket that will be cost-conscious, production-friendly which will be built in India but operated globally for the services of the space sector. This should happen in the next few years so that we can retire all those operating launch vehicles (in India) at appropriate time,” he said.

“So, it’s a big shift from what we do today,” he pointed out. “I would like to see this (proposal) taking shape in the next few months.”

Source: www.thehindu.com

ISRO will be working on the Reusable launch vehicle technology demonstration program, also known as the RLVTD series of technology demonstration missions which will reportedly be the first step towards the building of a fully reusable vehicle. A winged Reusable launch rocket is confirmed to act as a flying test bed to evaluate several technologies.

One web

UK government to invest $500 million on satellite company OneWeb

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Last Friday, the UK government announced that it will invest $500 million in OneWeb, a young satellite firm founded by Greg Wyler. The newly built company was facing finance troubled and hence filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US in March. UK government has responded to the company’s difficult times and demanded a significant equity share as well. Bharti Global, an Indian telecom company will also invest $500 million as a part of the same agreement.

OneWeb
Image Source: Forbs.com

Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection

On 28th March 2020, the company released the news of using bankruptcy proceedings and shows an interest in the sale of the firm. With COVID-19 making a horrendous impact on every sector of the economy, OneWeb also became its victim. The company said that they were about to receive financing but the global pandemic is the reason it failed. So, they were left with no other choice than putting it up for sale.

OneWeb also started cutting off the workforce but didn’t mention any specific figure. The company needed to conclude at the earliest as one week before filing bankruptcy protection it launched 34 satellites from Kazakhstan. The company has big plans to provide high-speed internet from space for the usage of common people. So, it received a license from the Federal Communications Commission to launch a constellation of 650 low-lying satellites for the same purpose. One of its biggest plans is to provide internet coverage to the Arctic.

Internet coverage to the Arctic

Last year, the company declared that it is planning to provide “fiber-like internet” coverage at the Arctic region and high-speed internet to homes, boats, and even planes that are located above the 60th parallel north latitude. To achieve this goal, the company planned to launch a constellation of 650 satellites among which 74 are successfully launched. OneWeb also said that since the number of satellites is high, one satellite can cover a specific part of Earth 24/7.

The project of covering the maximum part of the Arctic is very challenging as its geographical strains make it harder for establishing conventional internet connectivity. But, OneWeb claims that it can provide high-speed internet coverage to 48% of the Arctic. And, this would further help in the overall development of the Arctic region. People in the Arctic appreciated the idea as it will open vast opportunities for them with growing connectivity. OneWeb launched their satellites on Soyuz rocket.

Future planning

Currently, with 74 satellites orbiting the Earth, OneWeb plans to move its satellite production from Florida in the US to the UK if the government supports. The UK was planning for a long time to make a big move in the aerospace sector, especially after the nation lost access to the European Union’s Galileo Satellite System in 2018. Since then, the plan of the UK has come to a halt especially for economic concerns. After the UK government agreed with OneWeb last Friday, it gives a 20 percent stake of the company. This deal will allow OneWeb to complete the construction of the planned satellite constellation.

Alok Sharma, UK Secretary of State for Business, said that this a big opportunity for the UK to set up a wide production base for spacecraft. If this mission becomes successful, the UK will become one of the global leaders in the aerospace business. OneWeb will be back in production at the earliest.

Criticism

But, OneWeb is not the only private company in the world trying to make global connectivity stronger. SpaceX is also a very big competitor of OneWeb given that OneWeb was only founded a couple of years ago. Moreover, the agreement between the UK government and OneWeb has caught the attention of many space policy experts.

Dr. Bleddyn Bowen from the University of Leicester said that for starters the UK has bought the wrong satellites. The idea that OneWeb is working on resembles the idea of Starlink by SpaceX. According to this space policy expert, OneWeb is trying to put together technology and a design that is not made for each other. So, there are high chances that the execution of this mega constellation will fail. Giles Throne, a research analyst at Jeffries also made the same accusation about the deal.

Commercial Docking Space

Space-Wars: The Fight for Commercial Docking Space in Outer-Space

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For as long as humankind has been alive on Earth, it has been fascinated by the stars. Throughout history, we have seen great thinkers and scientists look to the skies for inspiration, and thinking men and women have always tried to unravel the secrets that lie behind our home planet. This innate curiosity which powers all our innovation has led to several space exploration missions, multiple moon landings and even expeditions to Mars. Quite recently, it has led to commercial satellites taking to the stars as well. History was created recently, when for the first time in the history of the world, two commercial satellites, as a part of a servicing mission docked in orbit! The scientific community has never been happier as this will lead to a new beginning with regards to space exploration and satellite servicing. Read on to find out more about this docking and why it is so important and historic.

New Beginnings

This orbiting provides new hope for ailing satellites which have been orbit for continuous periods of time and require quick assists. Furthermore, it could also give rise to a new form of business- space decluttering! As technology advanced, humans kept sending exploratory missions to outer space. This coupled with a large number of satellites in place for communication and spatial recognition has led to a space problem in outer-space. The skies are immensely cluttered and filled with space junk, which now has reached a stage, wherein we need cleaners to clear out.

International Space Docking

Out of the two satellites that docked, one is a telecom-industry satellite that was low on fuel while the other was a replacement that plans on taking over the former’s movements. This maneuver will help the Intelsat-901 extend the 19-year mission it has been fulfilling with regards to TV relay, by another 5 years. For all the scientists, platforms and satellite makers involved in the process, this docking is a major accomplishment as it helps in solving several problems.

The two satellites met about 36,000 km above the Earth’s surface, and the mission was spearheaded by Northrop Grumman, the maker of the Mission Extension Vehicle-1. After the successful docking, the MEV-1 plans to move westward by 27.5 degrees to continue its telecoms duties by late March. While talks of inter-galactic re-fueling and junk removal have been going for decades now, the success of the Northrop Grumman is the first undertaking that has come out with a positive result. The international docking took place on Tuesday, 300 km above the arc from where telecom satellites usually undergo their data relaying.

Process of Docking

  • Pushing of a probe into the Intelsat-901’s engine nozzle.
  • Removal of any spacecraft that is currently operational from close proximity to prevent any mishaps
  • The MEV-1 approaches the IS-901.
  • Opening of the probe’s fingers into the IS-901, allowing the MEV-1 to hold the spacecraft in place.
  • Autonomous docking once both the crafts are aligned.
  • Following the docking, the MEV-1 will now control all the movements of the satellite, allowing the IS-901 to continue operations for five more years.
  • Afterward, the MEV-1 will get rid of the IS-901 and dump it in what is commonly referred to as space. graveyard, which contains other defunct satellites.
  • The MEV-1 will then move on to the next ailing and old satellite, in a bid to extend its lifetime.

The MEV

The MEV-1, launched in October last year rose around 180 miles above the geosynchronous orbit to help the IS-901, which had stopped services in December of last year. This new stack consisting of two satellites will now perform the duties which IS-901 had earlier done, which will ensure that the TV relaying service continues uninterrupted for another five years. The contract also ensures that the MEV-1 after the period is over will return the IS-901 to a decommissioning orbit, before moving on to a different client spacecraft.

The MEV can accomplish multiple dockings and has a service life extension capability of over 15 years. However, in the near future, this vehicle will be capable of doing much more as the company aims to establish a fleet of such vehicles to make servicing, maintenance, and repair work possible. Furthermore, other plans include allowing the MEV to carry out inclination changes, diagnostics, spacecraft inspections, and even in-orbit repair assembly.

People Involved in the Docking

Northrop Grumman is a new company that works in the field of satellite communications through its subsidiary- SpaceLogistics LLC. The company plans on expanding the present project and wishes to perform in-orbit repair, maintenance, and assembly in time. It is now working on new technology that will help the docking probe, not just tug onto an object, but actually hold it, the way a robotic arm would. Furthermore, it is also working on the creation of fuel-pods that can attach itself onto satellites that are running low of fuel. SpaceLogistics is all set to launch its second MEV this year in order to perform some routine support on another Intelsat spacecraft.

Stephen Spengler who serves as the CEO of Intelsat says that such plans were set in motion in 1992, wherein an Intelsat spacecraft was famously rescued by another space-vehicle when it fell into lower-Earth orbit. Spengler believes that the company has always pushed boundaries with respect to space technology and will continue to do so in the coming years, turning dreams into reality in the process.

virgin orbit

Virgin Orbit Plans to Be the First Company to Send Commercial CubeSats to Mars

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There are none of the companies which is not interested in exploring the Red Planet. Now the spin-off company of Richard Branson‘s space tourism company Virgin Galactic, the Virgin Orbit has also got new plans to explore the Earth’s neighbouring planet.

Today the company announced that it has partnered with a Polish satellite company, SatRevolution, such that together these will be working on building smallsat CubeSats and send them to Mars. The company has also got around a dozen Polish universities, including AGH University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, having a vast experience in the space technology, onboard to work on the same project. Virgin Orbit also revealed that the company is trying to get its first satellite ready and send it as soon as 2022.

The company’s new mission is said to be inspired by NASA’s recent InSight mission. NASA under its InSight mission successfully sent two CubeSats (small spacecraft of the size of a cereal box) to Mars in November 2018, And now, Virgin Orbit wants to send a series of CubeSats to the Red Planet under its three robotic missions.

virgin orbit
Image Source: ukdefencejournal.org.uk

The company will carry out the three missions in the next decade starting from 2022. These missions will make Virgin Orbit the first private company to complete a purely commercial trip to Mars, as there are only four organisation that has successfully completed their Mars missions and that too, the government-owned ones. Even the Major player in the private space industry, SpaceX has not been able to do a similar mission till now.

So the mission might not only be to send the CubeSats to Mars, but to make Virgin Orbit the first company for bringing commercial CubeSats to the “Red Planet”.

According to the company, despite being small satellites, the CubeSats will help to dig deeper into Mars’ atmospheric conditions, its orbit as well as surface and help in researching on the planet by providing key information. The smallsats will be able to click and send in images, analyse the Mars’ atmosphere, and even look for water on and under the martian surface. The company has not given any other information but has revealed that the spacecraft can weigh around 50 KG.

The company will be operating from multiple spaceports including the Mojave Air, Space Port in California as well as Cornwall Spaceport in the U.K. The company will be making use of its LauncherOne rocket to launch the CubeSats from in between the air.

Fleet Space

Flavia Tata Nardini : Fleet Space Founder and a Pioneer in the Emerging Australian Space Industry

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Today, everything is about connections; not the human connection, but the connection of humans through the internet. The Internet has transformed the world in less than the world had in the past 20 centuries. People just need their smartphone, and they can accomplish most of their daily routine work in a few swipes. Despite such advancement in human life, an aerospace engineer from Australia, Flavia Tata Nardini, does not want to stop here. She wants to create a network in the space, such that there will be no earthly object without an internet connection. Whether it is the students in the classroom or the tree in the forest, everything connected. The founder of Fleet Space Technologies has been developing satellites since she was a teen, and now, she is entirely focussing on the space as well as connecting the IoT devices.

Early Life and Career

Nardini was born into an engineer’s family in Rome, Italy. With a dream of becoming an astronaut, she completed a bachelor degree in aerospace engineering from University La Sapienza, Rome. She then completed a master’s degree in space engineering from the same university. In her late teens, she bagged an internship job at European Space Agency in The Netherlands, where she worked on the rocket propulsion technology.

In July 2009, she joined another company named TNO in The Netherlands, where she worked in various roles for four years, including propulsion design and test engineer as well as a product manager. Later, she even moved to Qatar to work with another space agency, where she sent nanosatellites to space.

Flavia Nardini founder Fleet Space
Image Source: amazon.com

Later, she moved to Adelaide, South Australia, to live with her partner (now husband) in 2014. Qualified with a lot of experience in space activities, it became tough for Nardini to find a job, as there was only one space startup back then. And having kids, she could not work in the defence, either. So, along with one of her future Fleet Space partner, Matt Pearson, she founded an educational startup named Launchbox. Under this startup, the two of the co-founders started teaching little kids about space and nanosatellites. Under the program, they even built CubeSat satellite using 3D printed components and launched them to the stratosphere.

Founding Fleet Space

While working for Launchbox, the two of the co-founders realised that they could also build a new space startup for connecting the IoT devices. Since no space agencies were working in Australia, founding one seemed a good idea to them. Hence in 2015, they, along with another aerospace engineer, Dr Matthew Tetlow, co-founded Fleet Space.

Fleet Space aims to create a network of nanosatellites around the earth, such that it can provide internet access to every person on earth for cheaper prices. The increase in the interconnection through the internet will make every single task accessible through a smartphone. For now, the company target is to connect 7.5 billion IoT devices on earth with the help of nanosatellites by 2020.

Partnerships and Fundings

Fleet Space has got the Australian as well the US government on board for the development process. Private companies like SpaceX has also partnered with the company to fulfil the goal. The French space agency CNES has also taken an initiative to help Fleet Space get the financial backing, and will be tracking and supporting the satellites built by Fleet Space. The company raised a $5m in Series A capital from Blackbird Ventures and Atlassian.

At the time Nardini founded the company, there was only one space startup in Australia. But with the success of Fleet Space, other budding entrepreneurs have also stepped into the same technology, and there are over 260 new startups that are working in the field of space research. In fact, the Australian government also announced in 2017 that it will be building the national space agency for Australia.

In September 2019, the company raised $7.35 million in the Series B funding led by Momenta Ventures and Horizons Ventures. Till now, Fleet has placed four CubeSat-class satellites in orbit and plans to send more satellites to the space to fulfil the demands.

Nardini’s love for space and satellites proves that the sky is the limit for her. She is an inspiring woman and a true example of women empowerment.