Amazon’s Project Kuiper is Underway

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Launch of the Amazon Project Kuiper prototypes from Cape Canaveral. (Amazon)

If you were worried about satellite traffic and its impact on astronomy, then you have one more thing to worry about. Yesterday, two prototype satellites were launched aboard an Atlas V rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. They are part of Amazon’s Project Kuiper, which may lead to 3,200 additional satellites orbiting the Earth.

So what is Project Kuiper? Amazon explains it this way:

Project Kuiper is an initiative to increase global broadband access through a constellation of 3,236 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). Its mission is to bring fast, affordable broadband to unserved and underserved communities around the world.

Sounds a lot like SpaceX’s Starlink, doesn’t it? And plenty more similar projects are being planned by the Chinese and others.

It does make you wonder whether there is a better way. I understand the nationals security complications with satellites, but thousands upon thousands of satellites circling the Earth to provide similar Internet services to customers sounds wasteful, dangerous, and bothersome to astronomy. I liked it better when the wires were running under the seas or underground. This new approach will be a mess.

The Government Accountability Office issued a report last year highlighting some of the risks and mitigation ideas:

  • Increase in orbital debris. Debris in space can damage or destroy satellites, affecting commercial services, scientific observation, and national security. Better characterizing debris, increasing adherence to operational guidelines, and removing debris are among the possible mitigations, but achieving these is challenging.
  • Emissions into the upper atmosphere. Rocket launches and satellite reentries produce particles and gases that can affect atmospheric temperatures and deplete the ozone layer. Limiting use of rocket engines that produce certain harmful emissions could mitigate the effects. However, the size and significance of these effects are poorly understood due to a lack of observational data, and it is not yet clear if mitigation is warranted.
  • Disruption of astronomy. Satellites can reflect sunlight and transmit radio signals that obstruct observations of natural phenomena. Satellite operators and astronomers are beginning to explore ways of mitigating these effects with technologies to darken satellites, and with tools to help astronomers avoid or filter out light reflections or radio transmissions. However, the efficacy of these techniques remains in question, and astronomers need more data about the satellites to improve mitigations.

The report has a lot of good information, but I am not sure Amazon, SpaceX, or the Chinese will be paying any attention until a world body gets involved. National regulation will not be enough.

More likely than not, as with many of these areas in need of regulation, we are just one major accident away from new rules.

Satellite News: Otter Pup to the Rescue

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Starfish Space

Things are looking up for the satellite business. That is, things should shortly be coming down from space that no longer need to be there, and that is a good thing. And Starfish Space hopes to be the one to bring down those satellites.

Here is the story. Starfish Space has created the electric-propulsion Otter Pup prototype spacecraft to act as a tug boat in space that can safely nudge old satellites and debris out of orbit. This will be the basis for the commercially-available Otter spacecraft in the near future. The mission of this spacecraft could also be expanded to serve as a “robotic repair crew.”

It sounds so promising that NASA has awarded the company with a contract to expand its work in this area.

This is good news for anyone concerned about the growing amount of traffic and debris in low-Earth orbit. We have no problem tossing things into space, but we have not given enough thought to what happens later. The Otter Pup is a step in the right direction.

Note: You can see a July 2022 Starfish Space presentation to NASA about the Otter spacecraft here.

Image (Credit): The Otter Pup prototype spacecraft . (Starfish Space)

Space Stories: Habitable Zone Planets, Satellite Interference, and Extraterrestrial Communication

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Artist’s rendering of the Milky Way Galaxy. (NASA JPL)

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—ScienceDaily: “One-third of Galaxy’s Most Common Planets Could be in Habitable Zone“

In a new analysis based on the latest telescope data, University of Florida astronomers have discovered that two-thirds of the planets around these ubiquitous small stars could be roasted by these tidal extremes, sterilizing them. But that leaves one-third of the planets — hundreds of millions across the galaxy — that could be in a goldilocks orbit close enough, and gentle enough, to hold onto liquid water and possibly harbor life.

—Space Telescope Science Institute: “Astronomers are Reducing Satellite Interference in Hubble Images“

When the Hubble Space Telescope was launched in 1990, there were about 470 artificial satellites orbiting Earth. By 2000, that number doubled. But by 2023, the rising number has grown almost exponentially to nearly 8,000 satellites. For Hubble this means that satellites photobomb about 10% of its exposures on celestial targets…Astronomers at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland have developed tools for cleaning up this clutter. Hubble observations consist of more than just one exposure. And so, artifacts can be identified and subtracted between exposures because they are not in the same place on a detector.

—BGR: “Aliens Might be Trying to Contact Us from Within the Milky Way, Study Claims“

A new study seems to think alien signals could be emitting from the heart of the Milky Way, attempting to make contact with humankind. The study focuses on the use of data from a groundbreaking mission known as the Breakthrough Listen Investigation for Periodic Spectral Signals (BLIPSS), which looks for repeating patterns that could be key to unlocking connections with extraterrestrial intelligence in our galaxy.

Starlink: DOD Pays for Ukrainian Service

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Map of Ukraine. (BBC News)

Elon Musk got his way. The US Department of Defense (DOD) will be paying an undisclosed amount for the Starlink services being used in Ukraine. This is good news for the Ukrainians had they feared interruption of this vital link with the rest of the world, yet I imagine this will also put SpaceX’s Starlink system at greater risk given that it now is a clearly a subcontractor to the US defense initiatives.

As the media has pointed out, Musk started to cut back on Starlink services to make a point about it being used as part of the war, with one Senator noting:

I was personally disappointed to see discontinuation of full services at such a critical time for Ukraine self-defense…Do you feel there’s a connection between the availability of this capability to our partners in Ukraine in this conflict, and relationships we have with companies like SpaceX?

It appears the relationship has improved now that DOD has opened its checkbook. I guess the next move will be taken by the Russians. And if the past is any guide, things may get ugly.

Second TROPICS Launch a Success

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The TROPICS launch this week from New Zealand. (Rocket Lab)

The second and final TROPICS satellites, also known as Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats, were launched late yesterday via a Rocket Lab rocket in New Zealand. The first pair were launched earlier this month.

Rocket Lab sent out this message:

Payload deployment confirmed! Congratulations to the launch team on our 37th Electron launch, and to our mission partners at @NASA @NASA_LSP @NASAAmes: the TROPICS constellation is officially on orbit!

NASA now has more eyes on the world’s weather patterns. The lead of NASA’s Earth Science Division, Karen St. Germain, stated:

As we move into hurricane season for 2023, TROPICS will be in position to provide unprecedented detail on these storms, helping us better understand how they form, intensify, and move across the ocean.