After the launch over the weekend Spacex now has over 1600 Starlink satellites in orbit. Now they’ve linked up with Google….

https://www.eetimes.com/spacex-expan...-google-cloud/

SpaceX Expands Starlink to Google Cloud

Starlink, the streak in the night sky launched by SpaceX, will connect with Google’s cloud infrastructure, enabling the satellite broadband network to deliver low-latency applications, data and other cloud services to network edge deployments.

SpaceX earlier signed a similar agreement to connect its Starlink constellation to Microsoft’s Azure cloud…. The cloud deals with Google and Microsoft illustrate the long-term goal of tapping the lucrative enterprise edge market.

Google said last week SpaceX will locate Starlink ground stations within its data centers to deliver applications to the network edge relayed by its growing satellite constellation.

The collaboration combines Google’s private cloud network with a satellite network service eventually aimed at corporate users, including those beyond the reach of terrestrial connections.….

Google and SpaceX said they expect to begin delivering the new edge services to corporate customers beginning in the second half of 2021.

SpaceX and Microsoft announced a partnership last fall that would link the Starlink broadband network to Azure modular data centers via satellite network provider SES.

Observers note the Google-SpaceX deal would create direct connections between the Starlink constellation via ground stations in Google data centers. Those direct connections would reduce latency and boost performance for streaming video and other enterprise applications……

Others stressed the deal would provide Starlink customers with faster connections to Google cloud servers.

Arianespace getting desperate to stop SpaceX getting so far ahead. Not sure how successful they’ll be appealing to the FCC however - and as far as I know there aren’t any European or UN bodies who have any powers to do so.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...ianespace.html

SpaceX launching thousands of satellites into low Earth orbit is 'unsustainable' and could give the Elon Musk-owned firm a monopoly in space, warns competitor Arianespace

Does someone think that Arianespace can stop SpaceX from launching their satellites? They've started a Starlink mission and must finish it.

Walking home a week or so ago, around 8pm, saw a group of four, then another, then another and so on for about 5 mins.

Given the Starlink constellation and similar projects objectively generate some real risks and several problems it's quite right that other spaceflight operators and international organisations should be raising concerns.

The astronomical world has for some time been utter p***** off that the quest for broadband appears to override any consideration regarding light pollution and the effect it has on some astronomical research...for example..

https://skyandtelescope.org/astronom...nomers-update/

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02480-5

There are also concerns about the about of debris associated with the starlink satellites that is being dumped into Low Earth Orbit (LEO), increasing the risks for everybody operating in satellites and spacecraft at LEO "altitudes" ( It was discovered a few weeks back that the remote manipulator arm on the International Space station was been dinked by junk in the last few months)...

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-89909-7

Or maybe we should only be allowed to raise concerns over what the Chinese do with their cast off hardware?.......

The Starlink constellation is launched into an insertion orbit at 200km where the decay time to reentry is measured in days, before being raised to 500km where the life, if not maintained by using fuel, is about a decade.

The OneWeb constellation, for which Arianespace has just launched the latest batch, as launched into a 500km insertion orbit with a decay time of about a 10 years, before being raised to a 1200km orbit with a decay time of millennia.

Which is causing the greater long term problem?

Which, by the way, is why the FCC gave SpaceX permission for 2,800 more satellites - because they lowered their planned orbits from 1200km to the same 500km orbit as the present constellation.

https://spacenews.com/fcc-approves-s...-modification/

Fundamentally these is a real world physics issue here (Nature article refers, plenty more available) and interestingly even Viasat, an American company, has raised objections.

It's not quite a simple case of Arianespace/EU being desperate.....

Wiggy,

Viasat is another with a dog in the fight…… but also years behind…..

https://www.satellitetoday.com/busin...ng-q4-results/

…..Satellite operator Viasat reported record-breaking revenue increases and subscriber growth, and dropped a surprise revelation that it was scrapping its planned Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) constellation for a new Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation that will launch in approximately five to six years …..

I'm aware of the commercial side of this but objectively there are increasing concerns being expressed by many of the serious players in this game about the amount of debris being distributed into Earth orbit...

To borrow from Richard Feynman ""For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled."

But many companies work on missions that'll clean up space debris, do you know it?

Yes, I know "it"...and do you know many such missions have been flown as of today, how much debris has actually been collected as of today, and how much debris needs to be collected?

Just to give you a clue according to some authorities such as NASA there are something like half a million objects of marble size or bigger in Low earth orbit..object the size of a paint fleck have damaged the windows of structures such as the ISS and Space Shuttle..it's a serious issue, there's potentially a heck of a clean up job and it's not even started...

It becomes clear why Viasat are keen to have LEO slots available - and they do have at least one powerful voice on their side…

https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield...-16-satellite/

Viasat to add military-grade encryption to experimental Link 16 satellite

WASHINGTON — A new Link 16-capable satellite being developed by Viasat will feature military-grade encryption, the company announced June 1.

Link 16 is the U.S. military’s primary tactical data exchange network, allowing joint war fighters to share information on the location of friendly and enemy forces to build a common operating picture of the battlefield.

But while Link 16 is of critical importance to the military in understanding the modern battlefield, it is technically limited to communications to other terminals within line of sight. In other words, it can’t be used to incorporate data from sensors and war fighters that are too far away.

The Air Force Research Laboratory wanted to change that. In 2019, the lab issued a $10 million contract to Viasat through the Space Enterprise Consortium to build a Link 16-capable satellite.

By directly tying into the Link 16 tactical network from low Earth orbit, the satellite could provide a connection node with beyond-line-of-sight forces. This space vehicle would use the vantage of orbit to connect — via Link 16 — systems that would otherwise be limited to line-of-sight communications…..

The experimental Viasat satellite will help reduce risk for the ambitious plans of the Space Development Agency, which is working to launch a new proliferated constellation made up of hundreds of satellites mostly in low Earth orbit.

That constellation will create a mesh network on orbit with optical intersatellite links (OISL) that can transport data from satellite to satellite all over the globe.

Just like with the AFRL satellite, SDA plans to outfit some of its satellites with Link 16 terminals, essentially enabling the U.S. military to push data to war fighters all over the world via the tactical network. Six of the agency’s first satellites — set to begin launching in 2022 — will be outfitted with Link 16 terminals.

Viasat initially anticipated launching the experimental satellite in summer 2020 but has pushed back the launch to fall 2021.

https://uk.pcmag.com/networking/1338...-shaped-dishes

SpaceX Tests Experimental Starlink Satellite That Uses 2 Square-Shaped Dishes

SpaceX is testing a new version of Starlink that operates via two satellite dishes instead of one.

The company revealed the experimental dish in an FCC filing last week, which was spotted by Wccftech. The document indicates the dish separates the transmitting and receiving antennas into two squares that’ll communicate with SpaceX’s satellite internet network. Each square measures 12.2 inches by 12.2 inches.

The design is notably different from the circular satellite dish design on a standard Starlink terminal, which the company has been distributing to thousands of eager customers. That dish, which measures 23 inches in diameter, contains both the transmitting and receiving antennas.

SpaceX’s application to the FCC doesn’t reveal much about the experimental dish or its purpose. The document merely says the company is seeking a six-month license to test the dish starting on July 10 in five states: California, Colorado, Utah, Texas, and Washington.

“The tests requested here are designed to demonstrate the ability to transmit to and receive information from a fixed location on the ground,” the application adds. “SpaceX will test antenna equipment functionality and analyze data link performance of the user terminal.”

The application was filed as SpaceX is rolling out Starlink across the globe to potentially millions of users in need of high-speed internet. To reach the goal, the company is trying to reduce the $499 upfront cost of each Starlink terminal, which includes the dish and a Wi-Fi modem.

The experimental dish could also represent SpaceX’s attempt to upgrade speedson the Starlink network. At the same time, the company is working to offer Starlink on moving vehicles, including boats and cars.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....99cbd2ef5e.png

Reference the above - breakdown on the current dish. More details in the comments below.

https://hackaday.com/2020/11/25/lite...rlink-antenna/

Tearing Apart a SpaceX Starlink Antenna

https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield...in-the-arctic/

NORAD, NORTHCOM want $80 million to test SpaceX and OneWeb in the Arctic

WASHINGTON — The head of U.S. Northern Command wants $80 million to continue testing SpaceX’s and OneWeb’s low Earth orbit satellite internet service, which it believes could solve the military’s Arctic communications woes.

American war fighters rely on a mix of commercial and government-owned satellites for global communications, but that infrastructure begins to run a bit thin above 65 degrees North.

Satellite availability above the 70-degree line is extremely limited, leaving U.S. forces and sensors in the Arctic with far less connectivity than the rest of the military.

But a new generation of low Earth orbit satellites designed to deliver commercial broadband could help fill that gap. Using constellations comprising hundreds of satellites, services like SpaceX’s Starlink and OneWeb are being built out to provide internet access to any location on Earth from orbit.

Last year, NORTHCOM and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) asked Congress for $130 million in their unfunded priority list — essentially a wish list of items that didn’t fit into the Pentagon’s annual budget request — to explore using those two constellations for Arctic communications. That funding enabled contract awards to SpaceX and OneWeb for full-scale testing.

Now, NORAD and NORTHCOM Commander Gen. Glen VanHerck requested $79.8 million in his FY22 unfunded priority list obtained by C4ISRNET to continue that effort — that’s about $30 million less than the commands expected to spend in FY22, according to their FY21 request.

They would use the funding to test new terminal prototypes that can connect with multiple commercial constellations, a capability laid out in the Space Force’s Fighting SATCOM Vision.

Long term, NORTHCOM suggested that this investment could encourage companies to develop more polar coverage with their communications satellite constellations.

According to the unfunded priority list, SpaceX launched 10 Starlink satellites into polar orbit in January, and plans to launch over a hundred more this summer. OneWeb told C4ISRNET in May that it had launched 182 satellites with plans to deliver Arctic coverage by the end of 2021.

That’s in line with VanHerck’s letter, where he said he expects 24/7 Arctic coverage provided by multiple commercial providers around January 2022.

The general noted that additional funding will be needed in FY23 and beyond for commercial service contracts and terminals.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...nk-satellites/

Judges reject Viasat’s plea to stop SpaceX Starlink satellite launches

SpaceX can keep launching broadband satellites despite a lawsuit filed by Viasat, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

Viasat sued the Federal Communications Commission in May and asked judges for a stay that would halt SpaceX's ongoing launches of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites that power Starlink Internet service. To get a stay, Viasat had to show that it is likely to win its lawsuit alleging that the FCC improperly approved the satellite launches.

A three-judge panel at the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit was not persuaded, saying in a short order that "Viasat has not satisfied the stringent requirements for a stay pending court review."

The judges did grant a motion to expedite the appeal, however, so the case should move faster than normal…….

Dish Network is also fighting SpaceX's FCC approval, and Dish's case was consolidated with Viasat's appeal. The judges set an August 6 deadline for Viasat and Dish to file opening briefs. The FCC will have until September 21, and SpaceX will have a deadline of September 28.

Dish and Viasat will have until October 12 to file replies, and final briefs are due October 26. Oral arguments will follow "on the first appropriate date" after briefs…..

The FCC has given SpaceX several approvals of satellite launches. In 2018, the FCC approved 4,408 satellites….. SpaceX also has FCC approval for another 7,500 satellites with even lower orbits…..

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...-b1894980.html

Spacex Applies for Licence for Ground Staion on Isle of Man for Blanket UK Broadband Coverage

There it was yesterday, in my Inbox. A note from Starlink telling me my box was on its way. After years of struggling with 1 or even sometimes a whopping 3 mbps in deepest, darkest Charente Maritime, I'm about to get some proper internet service.:ok:

:D:ok: Let us know how it goes - and whether you get the old or new dish.

NEW dish? Now I have upgrade anxiety. I wasn't aware there was an old and new...