SpaceX
SpaceX plans to start offering Starlink broadband services in 2020
The goal is to complete six to eight Starlink launches to get sufficient coverage to start offering the service to consumers in 2020.
SpaceX sees U.S. Army as possible customer for Starlink and Starship
Shotwell: “We’re talking to the Army about Starlink and Starship."
SpaceX submits paperwork for 30,000 more Starlink satellites
The FCC, on SpaceX’s behalf, submitted 20 filings to the ITU for 1,500 satellites apiece in various low Earth orbits, an ITU official confirmed Oct. 15 to SpaceNews.
NASA and SpaceX agree commercial crew development is the “highest priority”
LAS CRUCES, N.M. — NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk eased two weeks of tension between them Oct. 10, saying they were on the same page regarding development of commercial crew systems.
Bridenstine to…
Inflection point within the year for megaconstellations?
An inflection point is coming in the next six to twelve months for the multibillion dollar satellite megaconstellations, when it will become apparent which ones are likely to succeed and which ones “will take a pause or exit,” Chris Baugh, Northern Sky Research president, said Oct. 9 at the Satellite Innovation 2019 conference.
Boeing, SpaceX press towards commercial crew test flights this year
Boeing expects to carry out a pad abort test for its CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle in early November, followed by an uncrewed orbital flight test in mid-December, a company executive said Oct. 8.
SpaceX says rideshare missions will launch on time, even if partly empty
SpaceX plans to launch regular Falcon 9 rideshare missions starting in March and won’t delay launches for tardy customers, a company executive said Oct. 8.
Intuitive Machines secures launch contract, wins lawsuit
Intuitive Machines, a company with a NASA contract to fly payloads to the moon in 2021, announced Oct. 2 it has signed a contract with SpaceX for the launch of its lunar lander.
Musk vows to accelerate Starship development
SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk said the company would start test flights of its next-generation Starship vehicle in as soon as one to two months and reach orbit in as little as six months, even as some complain the company is devoting too many resources to this project.
Blue Origin and SpaceX among winners of NASA exploration technology contracts
NASA announced Sept. 27 the award of more than $40 million in contracts to 14 companies, including Blue Origin and SpaceX, to develop technologies that can support NASA’s long-term exploration plans.
SpaceX to update Starship progress
SpaceX will provide an update Sept. 28 on the progress it’s making on its next-generation Starship vehicle, including plans to start flying a prototype in as soon as a month.
SES, Viasat say FCC’s rural broadband latency requirements unfair to satellites
Satellite operators want to participate in a newly proposed $20.4 billion rural broadband program, but say the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s scoring criteria for signal lag puts them at a disadvantage.
Air Force certified Falcon Heavy for national security launch but more work needed to meet required orbits
SMC Commander Lt. Gen. Thompson: "They are fully certified now. But that doesn’t mean the work on the Falcon Heavy stops.”
Better coordination needed among operators to avoid potential collisions
As both the number of satellites and the number of potential collisions grow, government and industry officials say they need to improve the ways satellite operators coordinate maneuvers.
Kepler reviews plan for constellation architecture
Kepler Communications is reviewing the architecture for its internet-of-things constellation in response to SpaceX’s plan to revise the architecture of its Starlink constellation.
SpaceX plans 24 Starlink launches next year
SpaceX’s Starlink launch cadence will likely average “two a month,” in addition to customer launches, Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s president and chief operating officer, said.
