Lifeboat Foundation

SBUDNIC, built by an academically diverse team of students, was confirmed to have successfully reentered Earth’s atmosphere in August, demonstrating a practical, low-cost method to cut down on space debris.

When it comes to space satellites, getting the math wrong can be catastrophic for an object in orbit, potentially leading to its abrupt or fiery demise. In this case, however, the fiery end was cause for celebration.

About five years ahead of schedule, a small cube satellite designed and built by Brown University students to demonstrate a practical, low-cost method to cut down on space debris reentered Earth’s atmosphere sometime on Tuesday, Aug. 8 or immediately after—burning up high above Turkey after 445 days in orbit, according to its last tracked location from U.S. Space Command.

Rocket Lab USA Inc. successfully re-flew one of its Rutherford rocket engines during an orbital launch on Wednesday, a key step in the small satellite-launch company’s efforts to prove its reusable rocket technology.

SpaceX has taken a step further in its mission to enhance global internet connectivity with the unveiling of its third-generation (Gen 3) Wi-Fi for the Starlink satellite internet service. This announcement comes as a select group of customers have been invited via email to test the new at a cost of $200 USD, according to multiple individuals who received the invite.

“You’re Invited: New Starlink,” says the email, “As an early Starlink customer, you’re invited to a limited launch of our next generation WiFi We would love to hear about your experience, including setup, performance, or any other recommendations you may have, as these will be the firsts produced. […] You may order up to 3s per account. This offer applies only to your Starlink account. What’s improved? The new Gen 3 introduces WiFi 6 and tri-band radios to Starlink. With improved range, performance, and device support, the Starlink Gen 3 will extend your WiFi network throughout your home to provide a more consistent and reliable connection with faster speeds,” the company states. “The Gen 3 can replace your current, and multiple Gen 3s can be meshed together to extend the range of your WiFi network.”

SBUDNIC was a small cube satellite, about the size of a bread loaf, that was launched on a SpaceX rocket in May 2022.

Space junk is a serious issue that threatens the safety and sustainability of orbital activities. To address this problem, a team of students from Brown University designed and built a low-cost cube satellite that successfully deorbited itself after completing its mission. The satellite, named SBUDNIC, used a simple plastic drag sail to increase its atmospheric drag and hasten its reentry.

As per the press release, the small cube satellite has burned up high above Turkey after 445 days in orbit. Its reentry into Earth’s atmosphere on Tuesday, Aug. 8, marked the successful conclusion of a low-cost experiment aimed at reducing space debris, five years ahead of schedule.

This story is part of a new series of features on the subject of success, Benzinga Inspire.

In 2006, a young rocket-crazy kid from New Zealand traveled to the United States to show off his experiments to NASA, hoping to come away with an internship. Instead, he was escorted off the premises, so he went home, drew a logo on a napkin and started the process of building his own space company.

Changing His Trajectory: According to a CNBC report, Rocket Lab USA Inc RKLB founder and CEO Peter Beck started his own rocket company after NASA and other companies like Boeing Co BA wouldn’t give him a chance to pursue his dreams. Today, his space startup launches satellites for NASA and Rocket Lab is worth just shy of $2 billion.

WASHINGTON — The Space Development Agency announced Aug. 21 it awarded contracts worth $1.5 billion to Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin to build and operate 72 satellites.

The Space Development Agency (SDA), an organization under the U.S. Space Force, is building a mesh network of military satellites in low Earth orbit.

The 72 satellites will make up a portion of SDA’s network known as Tranche 2 Transport Layer. SDA is building a large constellation called the proliferated warfighter space architecture that includes a Transport Layer of interconnected communications satellites and a Tracking Layer of missile-detection and warning sensor satellites.

The satellite’s developer says it has an onboard intelligent processing unit that allows it process data without sending it back to ground controlThe company hopes it could one day be used to monitor environmental conditions or support emergency relief efforts.

A Chinese company has launched a satellite that has powerful artificial intelligence at its core, with the final aim of creating a self-controlled spaceship.

The WonderJourney-1A, or WJ-1A, which blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Inner Mongolia earlier this month, has an onboard intelligent processing unit known as the String Edge AI Platform.

Long-distance quantum communication can be achieved by directly sending light through space using a train of orbiting satellites that function as optical lenses.

WASHINGTON — NASA selected Rocket Lab to launch a pair of cubesats in 2024 to monitor energy entering and exiting the polar regions of the planet.

NASA announced Aug. 14 it awarded a task order through its Venture-class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) contract to Rocket Lab for the launch of two 6U cubesats for the Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment, or PREFIRE mission.

The NASA announcement did not disclose the value of the task order. The agency stated in past awards done under VADR that the pricing is considered “proprietary” because the awards are competed in a closed environment, with only companies on the VADR contract eligible to bid on launches of taxpayer-funded missions.