Hacker News with Generative AI: Satellites

There's a secret reason the Space Force is delaying the next Atlas V launch (arstechnica.com)
Last week, the first operational satellites for Amazon's Project Kuiper broadband network were minutes from launch at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida.
Space Exploration, Military, Amazon, Satellites, Delays
6 points by 01-_- 5 days ago | 0 comments
Oldest Satellite Has Been in Space for 67 Years. Engineers Want to Bring It Home (gizmodo.com)
An awkward-looking, spherical satellite the size of a grapefruit launched in March 1958, and was boosted into a high elliptical orbit. The satellite, named Vanguard-1, was a test of launch capabilities during the early days of the historic space age. Other satellites of its time have reentered through Earth’s atmosphere, burning up in a fiery death, but Vanguard-1 is still in orbit, silently zooming through the void of space.
Space Exploration, Satellites, History
15 points by bradac56 7 days ago | 5 comments
FCC chair calls EU satellite strategy 'anti-American' (telecomstechnews.com)
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has urged EU nations to reevaluate their satellite strategy amid concerns about relying on Starlink for services.
FCC, EU, Satellites, International Relations, Regulation
8 points by speckx 11 days ago | 2 comments
Secretive Russian military satellites release mystery object into orbit (space.com)
Space, Russia, Military, Satellites
9 points by andrewfromx 22 days ago | 0 comments
Parcae Ocean Surveillance Satellites (thespacereview.com)
On April 30, 1976, an Atlas F rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base carrying a new type of satellite into space.
Space, Satellites, History
12 points by mandevil 25 days ago | 0 comments
European Gaia mapping satellite is retired but proves tough to kill (theregister.com)
The last commands have been sent to the ESA's Gaia satellite and, after a dozen years scanning the galaxy, the spacecraft is shutting down its computers and boosting out into a retirement orbit around the Sun.
Space Exploration, Astronomy, Satellites, Europe
6 points by rntn 26 days ago | 1 comments
Botswana launches first satellite BOTSAT-1 aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 (spaceinafrica.com)
Botswana’s first satellite, BOTSAT-1, was successfully launched aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9—Transporter 13 rideshare mission on Saturday, March 15, 2025, from the Vandenberg Space Force Base, USA.
Space Exploration, Satellites, Botswana, SpaceX
395 points by vinnyglennon 31 days ago | 225 comments
China is testing experimental 'dogfighting' satellites in space, US general says (businessinsider.com)
China is testing experimental satellites capable of performing complex coordinated space maneuvers, a US Space Force general said this week.
Space, China, Military, Satellites
4 points by bentobean 34 days ago | 1 comments
Five Chinese satellites practiced 'dogfighting' in space, Space Force says (breakingdefense.com)
US “near peer” adversaries are “practicing dogfighting” in space to simulate orbital combat in yet another step up their wide-ranging effort to develop capabilities to deny, disrupt, degrade and/or destroy US space capabilities, the Space Force’s second in command warned today.
Space, Military, China, Satellites, Space Force
11 points by Ozarkian 36 days ago | 1 comments
US Space Force warns Chinese satellites are 'dogfighting' in space (theregister.com)
China has practiced co-ordinated satellite maneuvers in space that resemble aerial combat, according to a US Space Force General.
Space, Military, China, Satellites
11 points by rntn 37 days ago | 0 comments
Starlink satellite part hit a Canadian farm when it fell from orbit (newscientist.com)
A fragment of an out-of-control SpaceX Starlink satellite smashed into a farm in Canada last year, New Scientist can reveal – raising questions about the risks of de-orbiting space junk.
SpaceX, Space Junk, Canada, Satellites, Accidents
18 points by ironyman 40 days ago | 16 comments
Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) Overview (3gpp.org)
Non-terrestrial networks (NTN) are networks or segments of networks that use either Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) operating typically between 8 and 50km altitudes, including High Altitude Platforms (HAPs) or satellites in different constellations to carry a transmission equipment relay node or a base station:
Telecommunications, Networks, Satellites, 5G
3 points by teleforce 44 days ago | 0 comments
When Europe needed it most, the Ariane 6 rocket delivered (arstechnica.com)
Europe's Ariane 6 rocket lifted off Thursday from French Guiana and deployed a high-resolution reconnaissance satellite into orbit for the French military, notching a success on its first operational flight.
Space Exploration, Europe, Military, Satellites
57 points by _mitterpach 50 days ago | 13 comments
Eutelsat in talks with Euro leaders as they mull Starlink replacement in Ukraine (theregister.com)
Talks are underway between European leaders and Eutelsat about a possible replacement for Starlink in Ukraine.
Ukraine, Satellites, Space, Technology, Politics
4 points by belter 50 days ago | 0 comments
Ariane 6 performs first commercial flight with launch of CSO-3 satellite (arianespace.com)
The first commercial flight of Ariane 6, operated by Arianespace, placed the CSO-3 Earth observation satellite in orbit for the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA) and the French space agency (CNES) for the French Air and Space Force’s Space Command (CDE).
Space Exploration, Satellites, Commercial Spaceflight, France
55 points by mraniki 50 days ago | 42 comments
Unprecedented Starlink Reentries (spaceweatherarchive.com)
Feb. 5, 2025 (Spaceweather.com): What goes up, must come down–which could be a problem when you’re launching thousands of satellites. Since 2018, SpaceX has placed more than 7,000 Starlink satellites into Earth orbit, and now they are starting to come down. In January alone, more than 120 Starlinks deorbited, creating a shower of fireballs.
SpaceX, Space Debris, Satellites, Astronomy
12 points by 882542F3884314B 53 days ago | 3 comments
China Rescues Stranded Lunar Satellites (ieee.org)
China has managed to deliver a pair of satellites into lunar orbit despite the spacecraft initially being stranded in low Earth orbit following a rocket failure, using a mix of complex calculations, precise engine burns, and astrodynamic ingenuity.
Space Exploration, China, Satellites
19 points by perihelions 64 days ago | 1 comments
Sky skimmers: The race to fly satellites at the lowest orbits yet (bbc.com)
High in the skies of Earth, a new space race is underway. Here, just above the boundary where space begins, companies are trying to create a new class of daring satellites.
Space Exploration, Satellites, Technology, Competition
116 points by RyanShook 76 days ago | 76 comments
Center for the Study of National Reconnaissance: Corona Satellite (2013) [pdf] (nro.gov)
National Security, Satellites, History, Government
23 points by NaOH 76 days ago | 1 comments
A tiny satellite showed it can take high-res pics from space (theverge.com)
A satellite the size of a suitcase sent back these 2.5-meter resolution photos of the Earth’s surface.
Space Exploration, Satellites, Photography, Technology
8 points by jonbaer 77 days ago | 2 comments
Carnarvon's NASA satellite dish receives first signal in almost 40 years (abc.net.au)
A 29-metre-wide satellite dish that once aided NASA missions has received its first signal since being mothballed in 1987.
Space Exploration, Satellites, History, Australia
128 points by zdw 103 days ago | 25 comments
Hypso-2 satellite monitors harmful algae from space (phys.org)
It's slightly larger than a 5-liter water bottle, and is whizzing around the Earth at a speed of 7.5 kilometers per second.
Space, Satellites, Environmental Monitoring, Algae
7 points by rbanffy 113 days ago | 1 comments
Hacking yourself a satellite – recovering BEESAT-1 [video] (media.ccc.de)
In 2013, the satellite BEESAT-1 started returning invalid telemetry, rendering it effectively unusable. Because it is projected to remain in orbit for at least another 20 years, recovering the satellite and updating the flight software would enable new experiments on the existing hardware. However, in addition to no access to telemetry, the satellite also has no functional software update feature.
Space Exploration, Satellites, Software Engineering, Hacking
182 points by Duke_Pixie 114 days ago | 15 comments
38C3: Hacker hijacks and repairs Beesat-1 satellites from the ground (heise.de)
The Beesat-1 test satellite launched into space by TU Berlin in 2009 stopped delivering data in 2013. An inventor managed to breathe new life into it.
Space Exploration, Satellites, Hacking, Technology, Germany
19 points by doener 117 days ago | 3 comments
38C3: Hacking yourself a satellite – recovering BEESAT-1 [video] (media.ccc.de)
In 2013, the satellite BEESAT-1 started returning invalid telemetry, rendering it effectively unusable. Because it is projected to remain in orbit for at least another 20 years, recovering the satellite and updating the flight software would enable new experiments on the existing hardware. However, in addition to no access to telemetry, the satellite also has no functional software update feature.
Space Exploration, Software Engineering, Hacking, Satellites
8 points by jdiez17 118 days ago | 1 comments
Using GPS satellites to detect tsunamis via ionospheric ionization waves (nasa.gov)
The GNSS-based Upper Atmospheric Realtime Disaster Information and Alert Network (GUARDIAN) aims to enhance early warning of tsunamis.
Tsunamis, GPS, Satellites, Disaster Warning, Science
126 points by Gedxx 130 days ago | 44 comments
China orbits first Guowang internet satellites, with thousands more to come (arstechnica.com)
The first batch of internet satellites for China's Guowang megaconstellation launched Monday on the country's heavy-lift Long March 5B rocket.
Space, China, Satellites, Internet
8 points by freeqaz 130 days ago | 1 comments
Geomagnetic storms cause "mass migrations" of satellites (spacenews.com)
WASHINGTON — A pair of major geomagnetic storms this year led to unprecedented “mass migrations” of thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit that create new concerns about space traffic coordination.
Space, Satellites, Geomagnetic Storms, Space Traffic
5 points by radley 136 days ago | 0 comments
What One Russian Satellite Tells Us About the Future of Nuclear Warfare (nytimes.com)
U.S. military personnel at Space Command, in Colorado Springs, have kept a close eye on Cosmos 2553 ever since it reached orbit.
Russia, Nuclear Warfare, Military, Space, Satellites
11 points by Tomte 140 days ago | 6 comments
Smaller Satellite Images (marksblogg.com)
In 2009, Skybox Imaging was founded. They built and launched two satellites before being acquired by Google in 2014. Google went on to launch another five satellites before selling the firm to Planet Labs in 2017.
Space, Satellites, Imaging, Technology, Business
44 points by marklit 146 days ago | 6 comments