Page 3 - Satellites

Pixxel to launch six home-built hyper-spectral satellites from June

Bengaluru-based space start-up Pixxel plans to launch a series of small, home-built satellites -- Fireflies -- from June that could have a finer look at the Earth with its five-metre resolution hyper-spectral imagery. Pixxel recently launched its satellite manufacturing unit -- Mega Pixxel -- in Bengaluru where it can assemble, integrate and test 40 satellites weighing 100 kilogrammes every year as the nascent company aims to take a leap in the space sector. "If you are looking at 100-kilogramme micro-satellites which are able to do a whole lot of stuff in terms of actual commercial viability, we can do 20 of them at a single point in time. The turnaround time from getting them assembled to ship-to-launch is about six months. That makes it 40 every year," Awais Ahmed, founder and CEO Pixxel, told PTI. Ahmed said Pixxel aims to launch six 100-kilogramme satellites, named Fireflies, by June, and add another 12 next year to monitor in over 250 spectral bands at five-metre spatial ...

Elon Musk announces launch of 'Starlink Direct-to-Phone' satellites

Starlink Direct-to-Phone satellites will provide mobile phone access anywhere on Earth and also a solution for areas without cellular coverage

OneWeb gets regulatory approval to launch satellite broadband services

OneWeb India is the first organisation to be granted this authorisation. Eutelsat OneWeb, the low earth orbit operator, is part of Eutelsat Group

Satellite TV broadcaster Dish TV India shares up 7.5% on settlement reports

Dish TV India, a direct-to-home broadcaster, is facing intense competition from OTTs and cable TV

Imaging satellites to AI healthcare: Nasscom recognises India's tech cos

The aim of these deep tech startups is to solve some of the world's most pressing challenges and address critical global issues

Trai without a chairman, satcom spectrum allocation to be affected

The rollout of satellite-based communication services by Bharti Enterprises -backed OneWeb and Reliance Jio will be affected by the delay in appointing Vaghela's successor

Skyroot unveils Vikram-1 rocket, set to launch satellites early next year

Space start-up Skyroot Aerospace on Tuesday unveiled its indigenously built Vikram-1 rocket which is expected to deliver satellites to low earth orbit early next year. Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh also inaugurated 'The MAX-Q Campus', the new headquarters of the start-up at the GMR Aerospace and Industrial Park at Mamidipally in South Hyderabad. Singh toured the Skyroot headquarters spread across 60,000 sq ft and billed as the country's largest private rocket development facility under one roof. Vikram-1 is a multi-stage launch vehicle with a capacity to place around 300 kg payloads in Low Earth Orbit. It is an all-carbon-fibre-bodied rocket that can place multiple satellites into orbit and features 3D-printed liquid engines. Planned to be launched in early 2024, Vikram-I will be Skyroot's second rocket, after the successful launch of the Vikram-S rocket on November 18 last year. Skyroot's new headquarters houses integrated design, manufacturing and testing facili

Amazon confirms plans to offer 'affordable broadband' through satcom

An Amazon spokesperson said that Project Kuiper (Amazon's broadband-from-space venture) will bring fast internet services to underserved communities around the world

Amazon launches test satellites for internet service to compete with SpaceX

Amazon launched the first test satellites for its planned internet service on Friday as a rival to SpaceX's broadband network. United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket blasted off with the pair of test satellites, kicking off a programme that aims to improve global internet coverage with an eventual 3,236 satellites around Earth. Amazon plans to begin offering service by the end of next year. Elon Musk's SpaceX has a huge head start over Amazon and its founder Jeff Bezos, who has his own rocket company, Blue Origin. SpaceX flew its first test Starlink satellites in 2018 and the first operational satellites in 2019. It has since launched more than 5,000 Starlinks from Florida and California, using its own Falcon rockets. Europe's Eutelsat OneWeb also is launching internet satellites, with around 600 in orbit. Amazon originally agreed to put the satellites on the debut launch of ULA's Vulcan rocket. But with the Vulcan grounded by problems until at least the end of this year, Amazon

Amazon poised to launch long delayed satellites in race with SpaceX

It'll be the first in-flight test of Amazon's ambitious Project Kuiper initiative, on which it's pledged to spend more than $10 billion

Satcom gets a stronger player as OneWeb, Eutelsat Communications join hands

Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal will be the co-chair of the new entity while Shravin Bharti Mittal will be a director on the board of Eutelsat Group and Bharti's lead

Russia to help North Korea build satellites, says President Vladimir Putin

Kim arrived at Vostochny by train, after crossing into Russia early on Tuesday

Viasat Inc's $1 bn orbiting satellites risks upending space insurance

Viasat's troubles in orbit come a few years after big-name insurers like American International Group Inc and Allianz SE have shuttered their space portfolios

Isro successfully places seven Singaporean satellites into intended orbit

ISRO on Sunday successfully launched its proven PSLV rocket carrying seven Singaporean satellites from Satish Dhawan Space Centre here and placed them into intended orbits. Around 23 minutes after lift-off, the primary satellite got separated and it was followed by six other co-passenger satellites, which were deployed into the intended orbits sequentially, ISRO said. On the successful launch and separation of the satellites, ISRO posted on Twitter, "PSLV-C56/DS-SAR Mission: The mission is successfully accomplished. PSLV-C56 vehicle launched all seven satellites precisely into their intended orbits. Thanks to @NSIL_India and Singapore, for the contract." This ISRO mission, which comes after the much-awaited Chandrayaan-3 launch earlier this month, is being undertaken by its commercial arm NewSpace India Limited. In today's dedicated commercial mission, the primary payload being carried by ISRO's trusted workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle is the DS-SAR Radar Imaging Earth ...

Countdown commences for launch of PSLV-C56 carrying Singapore satellite

The countdown for the launch of Singapore's DS-SAR satellite and six co-passenger satellites on board a PSLV rocket began at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here on Saturday, the Indian Space Research Organisation said. Tomorrow's mission follows the PSLV-C55/TeLEOS-2 mission, which was successfully launched in April to cater to the customers in Singapore by the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency. PSLV-C56 will carry DS-SAR, a Radar Imaging Earth Observation Satellite, which is the primary satellite along with six co-passenger satellites in a dedicated commercial mission of NewSpace India Ltd. NewSpace India Ltd is the commercial arm of ISRO and the satellites would be launched to serve the customers in Singapore. The lift-off is scheduled at 06.30 am on July 30 from the first launch pad at this spaceport with the satellites expected to be injected into a Near-equatorial Orbit (NEO) at an altitude of 535 kms. "PSLV-C56/DS-SAR Mission: The countdown leading to the launch on July 3

DoT to take decision on satellite earth station gateways next week

In November 2022, Trai had recommended a separate pan-India licence for assembling satellite earth station gateways

Policy vacuum

Govt must frame rules for space communication

Bharti-backed OneWeb's 36 satellites successfully launched from Sriharikota

This is OneWeb's 18th launch and third this year. With this its overall constellation count has gone up to 618 satellites

Bharti-backed OneWeb to launch 36 satellites with Isro by March end

Company's eighteenth launch will complete global constellation of satellites connecting connect enterprises and governments

Bharti-backed OneWeb confirms deploying 40 satellites after SpaceX launch

Launch enables company to expand coverage of communication services worldwide