Category: Satellites

ULA Launches 27 Amazon Kuiper Satellites, Expanding LEO Constellation United Launch Alliance (ULA) successfully launched 27 Amazon Project Kuiper satellites aboard an Atlas V rocket, bringing the constellation to 54 satellites in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO). The mission supports Amazon’s goal to provide satellite broadband internet to underserved regions, competing with SpaceX’s Starlink. With over 80…
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Recent Satellite Launches and Their Purposes The past year has seen an unprecedented surge in satellite launches, serving a wide array of purposes in communications, Earth observation, science, and defense. Global launch rates reached record highs – over 1,200 satellites were launched in just the first four months of 2025, about a 50% increase from…
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What Is Space Weather and Why It Matters Space Weather refers to the changing environmental conditions in space driven by the Sun’s activity – including bursts of solar radiation, charged particles, and magnetic disturbances. Just as terrestrial weather can produce hurricanes or blizzards, our Sun generates “solar tempests” like solar flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs),…
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The satellite industry is undergoing a profound digital transformation as ground control “goes cloud.” Between 2025 and 2030, satellite ground segment operations are shifting from hardware-centric architectures to flexible, software-defined, cloud-enabled infrastructure. This trend is driven by the explosive growth in satellite deployments and demand for real-time data services, which traditional ground systems struggle to…
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HTS Technology Overview High-Throughput Satellites (HTS) are spaceborne relays designed to deliver dramatically higher data rates than traditional wide-beam satellites. They achieve this through numerous narrow spot-beams and advanced on-board processing, allowing aggressive frequency reuse. In practice, an HTS can deliver multiple times the throughput of a legacy FSS satellite using the same spectrum assets.publishing.service.gov.uk.…
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Space weather refers to variations in the space environment between the Sun and Earth that can affect technological systems both in orbit and on the ground swpc.noaa.gov. It is generated by solar phenomena—particularly solar flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), high-speed solar wind streams, and solar energetic particle events—that release bursts of radiation and charged particles…
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Imagine peering down at Earth through thick clouds or the dead of night and still seeing clear images of the surface. Traditional optical satellites are blind in such conditions – in fact, at any given moment about 75% of the planet is obscured either by cloud cover or darkness, making it inaccessible to optical imaging…
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Satellites are objects that orbit a larger body, like Earth or another planet spaceplace.nasa.gov. They play many roles in modern life, from beaming TV signals and providing internet/phone connections to monitoring weather and enabling GPS navigation spaceplace.nasa.gov spaceplace.nasa.gov. Below is an extensive FAQ, grouped by topic, answering common questions about satellites and related technologies in…
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Satellites have become our planet’s orbiting guardians, silently circling Earth and gathering data that help scientists unravel the story of climate change. Using advanced sensors, these high-tech observers measure everything from global temperatures and greenhouse gas levels to shrinking ice sheets and disappearing forests. The result is a revolution in climate monitoring – a wealth…
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Definition and How Geostationary Orbit Works A geostationary orbit (GEO) is a circular orbit around Earth’s equator at approximately 35,786 km altitude (about 22,236 miles) where a satellite orbits once per sidereal day (~23 hours 56 minutes) in the same direction as Earth’s rotation en.wikipedia.org esa.int. This precise altitude and orbital period make the satellite…
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