Page 95 - SAMENA Trends - February 2020

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SpaceX Sends 60 Starlink Broadband Satellites into a Different Orbit

SpaceX launched 60 more satellites for its to start limited internet service later this of having so many satellites in low Earth
Starlink internet broadband constellation year. Over the longer term, the company orbit has already sparked concerns about
on a Falcon 9 rocket, bringing the total is aiming to operate thousands of Starlink space traffic jams and interference with
count to 300. Liftoff from Cape Canaveral spacecraft — which are manufactured at astronomical observations.
Air Force Station in Florida came at 10:05 its facility in Redmond, Wash. The prospect
a.m. ET (7:05 a.m. PT). This Falcon’s first-
stage booster had been used three times
before over the course of nine months, but
missed making its fourth at-sea landing. If
successful, it would have been SpaceX’s
50th booster landing. SpaceX also said it
would try to recover the rocket’s nose cone
at sea. The stack of flat-panel satellites,
each weighing about 570 pounds, was
deployed into an elliptical orbit about 15
minutes after launch. That’s different from
past practice, which involved deployment
into a circular orbit about an hour after
liftoff. After an initial checkout, the
satellites will use ion thrusters to raise
their orbits to the operational altitude of
342 miles (550 kilometers). SpaceX plans

Maxar Technologies to Build Geostationary Communications Satellite

Intelsat has selected Maxar Technologies, satellite platform and Intelsat Epic, Intelsat more effective early public warning of
a trusted partner and innovator in Earth 40e will provide Intelsat customers pollution incidents. The combined Intelsat
Intelligence and Space Infrastructure, across North and Central America with 40e and TEMPO programs are expected
to manufacture Intelsat 40e, a next- flexible, high-throughput, “coast-to-coast” to be accretive to Maxar’s earnings and
generation geostationary communications coverage. The additional capacity will also cash flow on an annual basis throughout
satellite scheduled to launch in 2022. support the growing number of customers the production process. “Maxar and
Maxar will integrate NASA’s Tropospheric utilizing Intelsat managed-service Intelsat have a strategic partnership that
Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution offerings, including those working with goes back more than 40 years, and we are
(TEMPO) payload with the Intelsat 40e Intelsat to solve connectivity challenges honored to have been chosen for Intelsat
satellite. “When it’s launched, Intelsat for commercial and private planes, moving 40e – the 54th satellite that Maxar will
40e will be the newest addition to our vehicles on land and other mobility build for Intelsat over the course of our
next-generation Intelsat Epic platform, applications. In 2019, NASA selected long and successful history together,” said
which is already providing our global Maxar to host its TEMPO payload utilizing Maxar CEO Dan Jablonsky. “Maxar is also
customers with flexible, high-performance the Space and Missile Systems Center honored to have collaborated with NASA
connectivity they can count on today Hosted Payload Solutions (HoPS) contract for more than 50 years, and we are excited
– and in the future,” said Intelsat CEO vehicle. Now that Maxar has identified to leverage our strong legacy in bridging
Stephen Spengler. “Intelsat continuously Intelsat 40e as the satellite, the company commercial and government needs to
invests in innovative new satellite and will begin the integration process. TEMPO integrate the agency’s TEMPO payload
hybrid technologies that make it easy and is a UV-visible spectrometer that will detect with Intelsat 40e. Maxar’s recent work with
affordable for our customers to connect pollutants by measuring sunlight reflected NASA on TEMPO and several other Space
people, devices and networks, even in the and scattered from the Earth’s surface Infrastructure missions demonstrate
most remote locations. We look forward to and atmosphere. The resulting data from positive momentum for our expanding civil
partnering with Maxar on this next build.” TEMPO will be used to enhance air-quality space portfolio.”
Based on Maxar’s proven 1300-class forecasts in North America, enabling the

95 FEBRUARY 2020