Elon Musk's rocket company has been working on getting satellite broadband off the ground for years. Now the Falcon 9 is set to launch the first test.
SpaceX is ready to launch a test of its plannedSpaceX
For the second time in recent days, SpaceX has delayed the launch of a rocket carrying prototype satellites for its planned broadband internet service.
The Falcon 9 is now set to blast off Wednesday, just a few weeks after SpaceX
launched its huge Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time.
More than three years ago we learned Elon Musk and his rocket company were working on developing satellites to provide low-cost internet access around the world. Correspondence between the company and the Federal Communications Commission revealed that the first pair of demonstration satellites for the company's Starlink service will finally be launched into orbit.
The main payload for the launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California will be the
Spanish government's Paz satellite , designed to capture imagery of the Earth down to the single-meter scale. But there had been unconfirmed reports for several weeks now from space industry sources like
NASASpaceFlight.com that a secondary passenger on the flight would be the Starlink demonstration setup.
SpaceX itself has been relatively mum about the debut of its Starlink satellites, and about the entire program itself. However, a
letter from SpaceX to the Federal Communications Commission , posted to the FCC website Monday, makes it pretty clear what will be aboard the Falcon 9 when it launches.
The letter refers to two satellites, called Microsat-2a and Microsat-2b, that will be launched as a secondary payload on the Paz mission. The FCC granted SpaceX a license in November to launch this pair of satellites as part of a test mission. In
its application , the company describes the test objectives:
In addition to proving out the development of the satellite bus and related subsystems, the test program for the Microsat-2a and -2b spacecraft will also validate the design of a phased array broadband antenna communications platform.
Putting that all together: SpaceX is testing internet broadband satellites that will be launched along with the Paz satellite.
Last Wednesday, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai gave his endorsement to SpaceX's application to operate two huge constellations of broadband satellites. The company has secured approval for the two test satellites, but the broader application for Musk's larger ISP vision is still awaiting a decision.
The launch had originally been scheduled for Saturday, but was postponed to Sunday and then again until Wednesday to allow
"additional time to perform final checkouts of upgraded fairing," according to a
tweet from SpaceX.
A
release from Vandenberg confirmed that the launch is scheduled for Wednesday at 6:17 a.m. PT and that
"the Falcon 9 and payload remain healthy."
SpaceX declined to make an official comment about the broadband project prototypes.
Even so, Joy Dunn, the company's
"senior manager of new product introduction," did drop this emoji-based hint earlier this week on Twitter:
SpaceX hopes to have its global internet service up and running by the middle of the 2020s. Other public filings have revealed that the company hopes
revenue from becoming an ISP could help fund its vision of a Mars colony .
If that pans out, spreading internet memes about Mars could eventually help us pay to get there. It's almost poetic.
Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet ...
Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet Putting humans on Mars has been a staple of science fiction and a goal of numerous scientists for decades. Today, thanks to technological advances, fascinating images sent back from the Red Planet by rovers and orbiters, and growing concerns about our future here on Earth, interest in putting boots in that red soil is at an all-time high. Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet OSIRIS-REx is currently traveling to near-Earth asteroid Bennu on a sample return mission, designed in part to practice the type of robotic operations that will be useful for Mars. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet Musk's long-term vision for Mars is audacious. He envisions huge transport ships delivering colonists over the next century to create a Martian metropolis of a million people. He's also proposed terraforming the planet, perhaps by using nuclear explosions to trigger climate change. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet NASA, SpaceX and Mars One are all aiming to land people on our neighboring planet in the next 15 years or so, each on their own timelines and using different architectures. Here's a look at all three road maps, starting with a plan from Iron Man himself, SpaceX founder Elon Musk. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet Making the long journey to Mars while staying safe and healthy will require more than a space-worthy Winnebago. A deep space habitat has been tested under desert conditions here on Earth, and NASA hopes to launch such a habitat for missions to cislunar space in the next decade or so. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet A rendering of a SpaceX rocket heating up on entry into the Martian atmosphere. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet Musk says it should be possible to make Mars a "nice place to be." This could take some work, given all the ways to die there. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet Lockheed Martin's vision for a Mars surface lander is called the Mars Accent Descent Vehicle. The company says the craft could let astronauts explore the Red Planet's surface for two weeks at a time before they'd have to return to the Mars Base Camp. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 296 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet The latest concept in living on Mars comes from Lockheed Martin, which has designed its Mars Base Camp as a kind of orbiting waypoint for Mars exploration. The Martian space station is designed to integrate with NASA's Orion and also with landing craft traveling to and from the surface. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet An Uber won't get you to Mars just yet. Fortunately, NASA has already been testing its new Orion crew capsule that could ride atop the Space Launch System to one day transport astronauts to the red planet. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet SpaceX built a development fuel tank to test ahead of building the BFR. Note the people below for scale. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet NASA's planned Deep Space Gateway will be a small space station orbiting the moon, where crews can test technologies and prepare for future journeys to Mars. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet SpaceX's secret sauce is its reusable rockets, which Elon Musk says bring down the cost of accessing space, and by extension, Mars. As of this writing, the company has successfully recovered 16 first stage Falcon 9 boosters and also successfully relaunched previously used rockets. The precision landing technology can also be used to land on other worlds. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet NASA has no designs to move a million people to Mars, but it's hoping to send astronauts in a little over 15 years. The goal of getting to the Red Planet in the 2030s was set during the Obama administration, and President Donald Trump made 2033 the official target date earlier this year. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet Mars One's plans have been met with criticism, but the plan for a small, permanent colony is still moving forward. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet Mars One plans to contract with a third party like Lockheed Martin to supply its lander technology. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet Original plans call for Mars One colonists to make a one-way trip, without the ability to return to Earth, ever. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet Finally, the culmination of decades of research, development, training and prep-launches will be the landing of human astronauts on Mars to establish a research base. NASA's current timeline has the first landing happening in 2033 or later. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet For 15 years, Elon Musk's SpaceX has been building better rockets with the ultimate goal of getting to Mars. In 2016 he finally revealed his road map for getting there, at a conference in Mexico. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet NASA sees the long road to Mars in three phases. The first is underway right now with research on the International Space Station that wlll inform Mars missions in the future. Partnering with private Mars fanatics like Musk on missions closer to home is also part of the plan. But the most exciting work happening today is the development of the hardware to travel further in space. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet NASA is soon to move into the second phase of the journey to Mars with missions to prove its deep space prowess a little closer to home. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet The third phase of NASA's Martian road map involves getting further away from Earth and closer to boots in the red dirt. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet The key to the SpaceX Mars road map is what Musk calls the "BFR" (for "Big F***ing Rocket"), a vehicle he says can outperform some of the most powerful rockets ever made, including the Saturn V that took Apollo astronauts to the moon. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet Musk says the BFR can haul 4,400 tons to Mars. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet In September 2017, Musk unveiled a refined, slightly smaller design for the SpaceX Interplanetary Transport. The ship is massive even after it separates from its rocket boosters, with a payload eight stories tall, enough room to fit smaller rockets inside ... or a bunch of adventurous explorers. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet A cross-section view of the BFR, minus the rocket boosters designed to separate and return to Earth for refueling after launch. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet When set up for a Mars flight, the Interplanetary Transport has room for 40 cabins for the long trip. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet Musk hopes to send his rockets to Mars within five years to start setting up infrastructure in preparation for the first people to visit, a few years later. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 513 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet Musk says the BFR could also make trips to a lunar base. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet Though he offered few details on exactly how it will all come together, Musk did show this rendering of a potential future Mars colony during a speech at the International Astronautical Congress on Sept. 29. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 Humans on Mars: An atlas of plans to land on the Red Planet Ferrying all the infrastructure and supplies needed to set up shop on Mars will require lots of firepower, and NASA's answer is the Space Launch System (SLS), its next-generation rocket designed with deep space missions in mind. originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM width 936 height 527 source:CNet
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