Hacker News with Generative AI: Satellite Technology

Using NASA’s SMAP satellite to detect L-band interference (radioandnukes.substack.com)
So here’s the deal: I didn’t expect NASA’s SMAP satellite — built to measure soil moisture — to end up doing open-source ELINT. But it is. And it’s wild.

Space Exploration, Remote Sensing, Satellite Technology, Open Source, Radio Interference

302 points by c16 1 day ago | 67 comments

Within 15 years, plummeting satellites could alter winds, temps in stratosphere (admin-cires.colorado.edu)
Within 15 years, plummeting satellites could release enough aluminum to alter winds, temps in the stratosphere (news)

Space Debris, Climate Change, Atmospheric Science, Satellite Technology, Environmental Impact

6 points by layer8 4 days ago | 3 comments

Amazon Kuiper launches first satellites to take on SpaceX's Starlink (cnbc.com)

Space Exploration, Satellite Technology, Competition, Amazon, SpaceX

4 points by breadwinner 30 days ago | 0 comments

New NASA satellite mapped the oceans like never before (zmescience.com)
The ocean floor is a vast scope on our planet that remains largely unexplored. Although oceans cover 71% of Earth, we have clearer pictures of the Moon and Mars than we do of the landscape beneath the waves. But a newly launched satellite mission coined SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) is now giving scientists a much sharper picture of these hidden underwater worlds.

Oceanography, Space Exploration, Satellite Technology

54 points by Brajeshwar 45 days ago | 7 comments

SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) Satellite Maps Seafloor from Space (nasa.gov)
There are better maps of the Moon’s surface than of the bottom of Earth’s ocean.

Space Exploration, Satellite Technology, Oceanography, Mapping, Earth Science

8 points by Brajeshwar 48 days ago | 0 comments

China's declassified spy satellite's 22,370-mile reach alarms US (interestingengineering.com)
Chinese scientists have officially disclosed the sophisticated technology behind Ludi Tance 4-01, the world’s first geosynchronous orbit synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite.

Space, Satellite Technology, China, Military, International Relations

11 points by walterbell 69 days ago | 0 comments

China launches fourth batch of Thousand Sails megaconstellation satellites (spacenews.com)
HELSINKI — China launched the fourth batch of 18 satellites for the Thousand Sails megaconstellation early Thursday using a Long March 6A rocket.

Space Exploration, Satellite Technology, China

3 points by rbanffy 106 days ago | 0 comments

A Cold War Satellite Program Called Parcae Revolutionized Signals Intelligence (ieee.org)
In the early 1970s, the Cold War had reached a particularly frigid moment, and U.S. military and intelligence officials had a problem.

Cold War, History, Signals Intelligence, Satellite Technology, Military

84 points by kungfudoi 108 days ago | 24 comments

Rival to SpaceX's Starlink Goes Dark After Failing to Account for Leap Year (gizmodo.com)
French satellite operator Eutelsat failed to account for last year’s leap year, leading to an embarrassing service outage that lasted for 48 hours.

Space Exploration, Satellite Technology, Technology, Business

48 points by birdculture 125 days ago | 20 comments

Satellite powered estimation of global solar potential (research.google)
High-quality satellite digital surface models and roof segmentation power Google Maps Platform Solar API expansion in the global south and reduce global revisit times.

Satellite Technology, Renewable Energy, Google Maps, Global South

265 points by jonbaer 141 days ago | 204 comments

Europe's Starlink competitor is go (theverge.com)
The EU has signed a deal for its IRIS² constellation of 290 communication satellites that will operate in both medium and low Earth orbit.

Space Exploration, Satellite Technology, European Union, Competition

12 points by peutetre 142 days ago | 12 comments

T-Mobile users can try Starlink-enabled phone service for free during beta (arstechnica.com)
T-Mobile today said it opened registration for the "T-Mobile Starlink" beta service that will enable text messaging via satellites in dead zones not covered by cell towers.

Mobile Networks, Satellite Technology, Beta Testing, Telecommunications

5 points by mfiguiere 144 days ago | 3 comments

EU signs $11B deal for sovereign satellite constellation to rival Starlink (techcrunch.com)
The European Union is forging ahead with plans for a constellation of internet satellites to rival Elon Musk-owned Starlink, after signing a €10.6 billion ($11.1B) deal to launch nearly 300 satellites into low- and medium-Earth orbits by 2030.

Space Exploration, Satellite Technology, Government Projects, Competition, European Union

61 points by gniting 144 days ago | 35 comments

Starlink's first constellation of direct-to-phone satellites is now in orbit (newatlas.com)
SpaceX has launched 20 of its Starlink satellites up into Earth's orbit, enabling direct-to-cellphone connectivity for subscribers anywhere on the planet.

Space Exploration, Satellite Technology, Telecommunications, SpaceX

119 points by Brajeshwar 153 days ago | 109 comments

Dutch children's channel outages caused by Russian sabotage of six satellites (nltimes.nl)
An extensive Russian offensive on European satellites was behind several disruptions to the children’s channel BabyTV, in which Russian propaganda played on the channel multiple times in the spring, Nieuwsuur discovered.

International Relations, Cyberwarfare, Media, Satellite Technology, Russia

10 points by mtlebe 170 days ago | 0 comments

Starlink satellites' leaky radio waves obscure the cosmos (sciencenews.org)
While SpaceX’s Starlink satellites are enabling internet access and cell phone communications around the globe, they’re also posing a threat to radio astronomy, a new study suggests.

Space Exploration, Astronomy, Satellite Technology, Radio Astronomy

7 points by austinallegro 181 days ago | 0 comments

Astronomers Push FCC to Halt New Starlink Launches, Citing Environment (pcmag.com)
A group of 120 astronomers and space experts is calling for a pause on new Starlink launches from SpaceX until the US can fully investigate the environmental effects of large satellite constellations.

Space Exploration, Satellite Technology, Environmental Impact

32 points by lg_rocket 196 days ago | 0 comments

First Greenhouse Gas Plumes Detected with NASA-Designed Instrument (nasa.gov)
Using data from an instrument designed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, the nonprofit Carbon Mapper has released the first methane and carbon dioxide detections from the Tanager-1 satellite.

Climate Change, Space Exploration, Satellite Technology

122 points by mywacaday 209 days ago | 39 comments

Keep Track: 3D Satellite Toolkit (keeptrack.space)

Satellite Technology, 3D Modeling, Space Exploration, Open Source

180 points by jonbaer 221 days ago | 36 comments

Starlink's new satellites emit 30x more radio interference than before (theregister.com)
The second generation of Starlink satellites being lobbed into orbit by SpaceX might not reflect as much sunlight as the old ones, yet astronomers say they're leaking up to 32 times the unintended radio waves instead.

SpaceX, Satellite Technology, Radio Interference, Astronomy

49 points by defrost 231 days ago | 71 comments

Astronomers work with SpaceX on Starlink satellites radio telescope interference (newscientist.com)

Astronomy, Space Exploration, Satellite Technology, Interference

6 points by ck2 257 days ago | 5 comments

AT&T Gets a Wrist Slap for Advertising a Satellite Calling That Doesn't Exist (techdirt.com)

Telecommunications, Misleading Advertising, Satellite Technology

10 points by bnewton 266 days ago | 0 comments

China launches first satellites for Thousand Sails megaconstellation (spacenews.com)

China, Satellite Technology, Space Exploration, Megaconstellations

5 points by gmays 273 days ago | 0 comments

How bad are satellite megaconstellations for astronomy? (leonarddavid.com)

Space Exploration, Astronomy, Satellite Technology, Environmental Impact

108 points by belter 365 days ago | 189 comments

View sky pollution by Starlink satellites in stellarium (ycombinator.com)

Space Exploration, Satellite Technology, Astronomy, Observation

17 points by mkesper 374 days ago | 6 comments