Spacex is building a network of hundreds of spy satellites under a #classified contract w/a US intelligence agency, 5 sources familiar w/the program said, demonstrating deepening ties between billionaire entrepreneur #ElonMusk's space company & #NationalSecurity agencies.
The network is being built by #SpaceX's #Starshield business unit under a $1.8B contract signed in 2021 w/the National Reconnaissance Office (#NRO), an #intelligence agency that manages #SpySatellites, the sources said.
The plans show the extent of SpaceX's involvement in #UnitedStates intelligence & #military projects & illustrate a deeper #Pentagon investment into vast, low-Earth orbiting #satellite systems aimed at supporting ground forces.
If successful, the sources said the program would significantly advance the ability of the #UnitedStates government & #military to quickly spot potential targets almost anywhere on the globe.
The contract signals growing trust by the #intelligence establishment of a company whose owner has clashed w/the #Biden admin and sparked controversy over the use of #Starlink#satellite connectivity in the Ukraine war, the sources said.
"We find that the CMIP6 simulations in the central Arctic, with generally thicker ice and snow, align well with satellite observations ... By contrast, climate reanalyses like ERA5 exhibit widespread warm biases exceeding 2 °C in the same region."
Elon Musk shared on X:
“SpaceX just achieved peak download speed of 17Mb/s from satellite direct to unmodified Samsung Android phone”
Ofcourse it’s all in pilot/experimental stage but the future is clear, internet access, anywhere through Low Orbit Satelites using ordinary smartphones (future models probably). National governments will have less control over mobile networks. Although my guess is it only works outside. #elonmusk#spaceX#satellite#internet
As an "independent source" it was used by politicians, students, and many everyday people alike.
It was used for #publications & #documentaries, and triggered some inquires where I assisted in shaping national & international political statements. It's been fun & fulfilling 🙂
In today's siloed internet its usefulness is gone. No more days with 5.000 unique visitors & multiple email inquires.
Overfishing.org contained both an introduction to the issue of #overfishing, and #teaching resources. See attached some evergreens (low resolution, DM me for high res).
Il #satellite ERS-2 dell'Agenzia Spaziale Europea, grande quanto un autobus scolastico, rientrerà nell'atmosfera terrestre questa settimana dopo aver concluso la sua missione di osservazione della Terra oltre un decennio fa.
Il satellite 'probabilmente' brucerà nell'atmosfera terrestre mercoledì mattina, con un margine di errore di circa 18 ore.
L'ESA ha affermato che a circa 80 km dalla Terra, il grande satellite si romperà in piccoli pezzI.🙏
Here's some folks making contacts on AO-7 in March of 2022. It's still active right now, per the AMSAT status page. ANYTHING in space that was launched in 1974 and is still working is amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o53x03RkD2o
Rebecca Solnit wrote: “I don’t know whether these #billionaires know what a city is, but I do know that they have laid their hands on the city that’s been my home since 1980 & used their wealth to undermine its diversity & affordability, demonise its poor, turn its politicians into puppets & push its politics to the right. They have produced many kinds of dystopia without ever deviating from the line that they are bringing us all to a glorious utopia for which they deserve our admiration.
By producing such extremes of wealth, tech is returning us to a kind of feudalism, with a few powerful figures accountable to no one. Here’s #ElonMusk, the world’s richest person, who invited in misinformation, disinformation & hate, providing a platform for extreme right-wingers, racists & #conspiracy theorists, while also using his #Starlink#satellite technology first for & then against the Ukrainian military in their conflict with #Russia. ” #SanFrancisco#SiliconValley
Wow. This is an amazing web-app.
"Free, open-source tool for exploring space in 3D. Simulate satellite launches, visualize breakups, and explore a detailed library of 30,000+ objects. A friendly interface lets you zoom through orbits, find potential collisions, and monitor debris. Keep Track turns anyone into an armchair astronaut!" https://www.keeptrack.space/app/ #Space#Simulator#FOSS#satellite#explore