Page 4 - Satellites

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

ISRO receives satellite NISAR, jointly developed by India and US

NISAR was envisioned by NASA, ISRO eight years ago in 2014 as a powerful demonstration of the capability of radar as a science tool and help us study Earth's dynamic land and ice surfaces in detail

Pixxel releases first images from its hyper-spectral pathfinder satellites

Bengaluru-based space data start-up Pixxel on Monday unveiled the first-ever set of images from its hyper-spectral pathfinder satellites. The images, released as part of its First Light campaign, capture intricate details of the land and water features of regions such as Krishna River Delta (India), Palm Islands (Dubai), Super pit (Australia), Saloum River Delta (Senegal), Granny Smith Gold mine (Australia) and Brockman (Australia). "The images will help unearth unseen problems that are invisible to satellites in orbit today and enable sectors to make more informed and evidence-backed decisions related to global phenomena," Awais Ahmed, CEO of Pixxel said. Capable of detection, identification and quantification of surface materials as well as biological and chemical processes, these images highlight specific factors such as soil types, mountain ranges, bare lands, gold mines, reservoirs, agricultural farms, delta regions and urban settlements among others. "With the launch of the

India launched 353 foreign satellites since 2014: Jitendra Singh

India has launched 353 foreign satellites since 2014, earning the country foreign exchange, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Wednesday. He said India earned 187 million euros from European countries and 39 million dollars from the US by launching satellites since the Modi government came to power in 2014. Earlier, in reply to a question in Lok Sabha, Singh said in order to promote and encourage public-private-participation projects and start-ups, a central PSU called "NewSpace India Limited (NSIL)" has been established. He said a single-window nodal agency "Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe)" has been established to promote non-government entities and to create an ecosystem for private companies in the space sector. Singh said 135 applications have been received by IN-SPACe from non-governmental entities and start-ups in the space sector. Responding to a question on start-ups in the sector, Singh said a new seed fund scheme has been approved b

ISRO's rocket to take OneWeb's 36 satellites to orbit in March: Report

The second lot of 36-satellites belonging to the UK-based Network Access Associated Ltd (OneWeb) will be launched by an Indian rocket sometime in March 2023, it is learnt

OneWeb nearing completion of satellite constellation, deploys 40 satellites

With 542 satellites now in orbit, OneWeb has more than 80 per cent of its first-generation constellation launched

SpaceX launches internet satellites for London-based rival company OneWeb

SpaceX launched internet satellites for a competitor Thursday, stepping in to help after the London-based OneWeb company halted its flights with Russia over the invasion of Ukraine. The Falcon rocket blasted off at sunset with 40 mini satellites bound for polar orbit. They will expand OneWeb's constellation to just over 500, nearly 80% of the planned total of about 630 satellites. Elon Musk's SpaceX has more than 3,200 Starlink satellites in orbit, providing high-speed, broadband internet to remote corners of the world. Amazon plans to launch the first of its internet satellites early next year from Cape Canaveral. With the market for global internet service growing exponentially, there's room for everyone, said Massimiliano Ladovaz, OneWeb's chief technology officer. SpaceX agreed to launch satellites for OneWeb after the British company broke ties with Russia in March. Russian Soyuz rockets already had launched 13 batches of OneWeb satellites, beginning in 2019. India picked up