Lifeboat Foundation

Space-based internet service is poised to revolutionize the internet and bring high-speed connectivity to countless communities worldwide. Programs like SpaceX’s Starlink paint a picture of a bright future for the citizens of the world. Like many revolutionary technological advances, there is a dark side to Starlink.

The constellation of hundreds (and eventually thousands) of satellites reflect light back to the Earth, impinging on the darkness of the skies for professional astronomers and stargazers alike. Astronomers report images and data being disrupted by bright streaks left from the satellites passing through their observational fields of view. One potential solution to this issue is applying a dark coating to the reflective antennae on the satellites’ ground-facing side. In January of 2020, SpaceX launched the experimental DarkSat to test the effectiveness of such a coating. Astronomers around the world observed the new satellite. In December of 2020, a team from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) released a paper in The Astrophysical Journal showing detailed measurements of the efficacy of DarkSat.

So what were the results of the study? Is DarkSat an effective solution to the astronomical problem posed by Starlink? As is often the case in such studies, the answer is a little complicated.

The mission launched from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California, with the drop zone taking place over the Pacific Ocean — and made LauncherOne the first liquid-fuelled and horizontally launched spacecraft to ever reach orbit.

The small satellites were deployed into low Earth orbit at an altitude of about 500km, prompting Virgin Orbit’s chief executive Dan Hart to declare: “A new gateway to space has just sprung open.”

Rather than releasing any new cameras for CES 2021, Canon is doing something different: Letting you take pictures from space. The company has unveiled an [interactive site](https://redefinethelimits.us/space/cornerstone/experience) that allows you to use its CE-SAT-1 satellite, equipped with a lightly modified 5D Mark III DSLR, to grab simulated photos of locations including New York City, the Bahamas and Dubai.

Canon launched the wine barrel-sized microsatellite back in June of 2017. It holds an EOS 5D Mark III camera that’s fitted with a 40 cm Cassegrain-type (mirror) 3720mm telescope. Orbiting at a 600 km orbit (375 miles), it provides about a 36-inch ground resolution within a 3×2 mile frame, Canon claims. (By contrast, the world’s highest-resolution satellite, [WorldView-4](https://apollomapping.com/worldview-4-satellite-imagery?gcli…rT_D_BwE), can resolve down to 12 inches.) It also houses a PowerShot S110 for wider images.

Take ‘photos’ of Earth from space with Canon’s 5D Mark III camera.

Continue reading “Canon made a site that lets you ‘take photos’ from a real satellite” »

A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in China has used drones to create a prototype of a small airborne quantum network. In their paper published in the journal Physical Review Letters, the researchers describe sending entangled particles from one drone to another and from a drone to the ground.

Computer scientists, physicists and engineers have been working over the last several years toward building a usable quantum network —doing so would involve sending entangled particles between users and the result would be the most secure network ever made. As part of that effort, researchers have sent entangled particles over fiber cables, between towers and even from satellites to the ground. In this new effort, the researchers have added a new element—drones.

To build a long-range quantum network, satellites appear to be the ideal solution. But for smaller networks, such as for communications between users in the same city, another option is needed. While towers can be of some use, they are subject to weather and blockage, intentional or otherwise. To get around this problem, the researchers used drones to carry the signals.

SpaceX will launch its first batch of Starlink satellites in 2021 on Tuesday (Jan. 19) to expand the company’s growing megaconstellation and you can watch the action live online.

LauncherOne has reached orbit for the first time.

Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rocket blasts its way toward space after separating from its carrier plane during the successful Launch Demo 2 mission on Jan. 172021.

(Image: © Virgin Orbit)

Continue reading “Virgin Orbit launches 10 satellites to orbit in landmark test flight” »

Sir Richard Branson’s rocket company succeeds in putting its first satellites in space.

Virgin Orbit, a sister company of Richard Branson’s space tourism effort, is set to try to send its rocket into orbit for the first time ever on January 17th after failing to do so last year. It will also attempt to send satellites into space for the first time. The four-hour launch window opens at 1PM ET.

SpaceX aims to provide Starlink satellite broadband internet service worldwide. “With performance that far surpasses that of traditional satellite internet, and a global network unbounded by ground infrastructure limitations, Starlink will deliver high speed broadband internet to locations where access has been unreliable, expensive, or completely unavailable,” the company’s website states, “Starlink is now delivering initial beta service both domestically and internationally, and will continue expansion to near global coverage of the populated world in 2021.” SpaceX is currently providing Starlink beta service to select customers living in northern United States, Canada, and United Kingdom. To receive updates about when service will be available in your area sign-up via Starlink.com.

Starlink customers receive broadband internet connection from the satellites in space via a Starlink Kit which includes a phased-array antenna dish, Wi-Fi router, along with power and mounting equipment. The kit is priced at $499 USD, with a monthly service fee of $99 USD. SpaceX has approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to operate 1 Million dish antennas for customers in the United States. In July, the company submitted a new FCC request to operate 5 Million additional dish terminals in the U.S. – “SpaceX Services requests this increase in authorized units due to the extraordinary demand for access to the Starlink non-geostationary orbit satellite system,” the company wrote in the FCC filing last year. The FCC has not approved the request yet.

Reviews.org, a team that reviews technology products online, conducted a asking 500 Americans if they would switch internet provider once SpaceX’s Starlink broadband service enters the public telecommunications market. “Starlink internet is perfect for those who feel stuck with slow speeds from their internet provider –especially in rural areas where building out cable and fiber networks either takes a long time or is less likely to provide adequate coverage,” Reviews.org wrote in its website. According to the Review.org results, 51% of Americans would switch to SpaceX Starlink Internet service. “51% of internet users say they plan to sign up for the Starlink beta once it becomes available to them. While only 5% of Americans currently use a satellite internet connection, 64% of respondents say Starlink’s rollout would make them reconsider their satellite internet stance,” Review.org representatives wrote in the publication, “55% of non-satellite internet users say they’d switch to Starlink’s satellite internet service at a higher cost if it resulted in faster internet speeds for their household,” they stated. The organization compiled a graphic with more details about the their, pictured below.