Tag: SpaceX

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SpaceX’s Starlink to gain more ground in Canada later this year

Starlink’s internet services will be available to more Canadians later this year, Elon Musk told a disappointed Starlink fan on Twitter.

The response stems from a post stating the internet service is available in all seven continents, with one respondent replying, “just sad it’s not available for 70 percent of Canada.”

That prompted Musk to respond. “It will be later this year when laser links activate on polar constellation.”

While positive news, it’s unclear how much the update will impact the 70 percent figure.

It’s clear the company has support in Canada, and even government bodies are utilizing its services. Both the Governments of Canada and Quebec have utilized Starlink to connect Canadians with high-speed internet access on separate occasions.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: @elonmusk Via: Tesla North 

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Elon Musk’s SpaceX had ‘promising’ talks with Apple about iPhone Starlink connectivity

One of the more interesting announcements from Apple’s ‘Far Out’ fall iPhone event was the addition of ‘Emergency SOS,’ a feature that enables iPhones to connect to satellites in case of an emergency.

Although Apple said it’s working with satellite service firm Globalstar to power the feature, some wondered what, if any, connection SpaceX and Starlink might have to Emergency SOS in the future, especially given the company’s recent partnership with U.S. carrier T-Mobile.

According to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, it’s just been “promising conversations” so far.

“We’ve had some promising conversations with Apple about Starlink connectivity. iPhone team is obv super smart. For sure, closing link from space to phone will work best if phone software & hardware adapt to space-based signals vs Starlink purely emulating cell tower,” Musk wrote in a tweet.

To add some clarity, the Starlink x T-Mobile partnership leverages the carrier’s PCS spectrum (in the 1850-1990MHz range) to provide coverage for texting and voice calls. That’s likely what Musk means when he refers to “emulating cell tower.”

Per Reuters, Apple has dedicated $450 million USD (about $587 million CAD) from its advanced manufacturing fund toward satellite infrastructure to support the service. Emergency SOS will be available in the U.S. and Canada starting in November.

Source: Elon Musk (Twitter) Via: Reuters

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SpaceX launched 46 more Starlink satellites last week

SpaceX has officially added another successful satellite launch to its roster.

The company launched 46 more Starlink satellites on Friday.

SpaceX shared the details on Twitter. Video shows the Falcon 9 rocket launched the satellites at 5:40ET from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The Falcon 9 landed on SpaceX’s drone ship, named ‘Of Course I Still Love You.’

The latest launch marks the 56th Starlink mission for SpaceX and the second for Falcon 9.

Image credit: SpaceX

Source: SpaceX Via: TeslaNorth 

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Canadian company signs SpaceX’s first Starlink deal with an aircraft manufacturer

Aircraft manufacturer De Havilland Canada will utilize SpaceX’s Starlink internet on its Dash 8-400 aircraft.

The Toronto, Ontario-based company announced it would use Starlink’s satellite-based services for in-flight Wi-Fi, providing customers with high-speed, low latency internet unavailable from other satellite or air-to-ground systems. De Havilland Canada says this is the first agreement between Starlink and any original equipment manufacturer (OEM).

“The Starlink antenna’s lightweight and aerodynamic form factor enable a more sustainable operation with fuel savings not capable with other legacy systems,” the company said in a press release.

The agreement is part of updates the company is making to the aircraft to “enhance customer appeal.”

“As we work toward relaunching the production of the Dash 8-400 aircraft, our design weight increases and cabin enhancements, which are available to retrofit in-service aircraft, illustrate De Havilland Canada’s ongoing commitment and investments to support the worldwide fleet,” Jean-Philippe Côté, the company’s vice-president of programs, said.

Image credit: De Havilland Canada

Source: De Havilland Canada Via: Tesla North

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SpaceX partners with Silent Yachts to add Starlink Maritime to electric catamarans

SpaceX and Silent Yachts are partnering to utilize Starlink Martitime’s internet services. The partnership sees Silent Yachts install the Maritime version of Starlink across its solar electric catamarans.

Silent Yachts specializes in the development and production of the first and only ocean-ready solar yachts. In a bid to integrate high-speed internet services, the company is partnering with Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Starlink. By doing so, the company can utilize its Maritime version after Starlink was just approved by the FCC to operate on moving boats, planes, and other vehicles.

SpaceX’s Starlink Maritime hopes to offer “high-speed, low-latency internet with up to 350 Mbps download while at sea.” While this offshoot service is still quite new, it’s available across a large amount of the ocean. Globally, SpaceX has enough coverage to warrant a partnership with Silent Yachts. Plus, it plans to expand the coverage even more over the next few months.

Starlink Maritime does come with a hefty price tag. Space X offers Starlink Maritime at a monthly rate of $5,000 USD (roughly $6,490 CAD). Additionally, there is a one-time hardware purchase of $10,000 USD (roughly $12,981 CAD). The kit includes two high-performance Starlink terminals and pipe adapter mounts. Users can also pause and resume service at any time.

There’s no word on how pricing will shake out when purchasing an electric catamaran from Silent Yachts.

Recently, SpaceX also announced Starlink for RVs, further covering its expansion across many vehicles. In Canada, it is available at a monthly fee of $192.10 plus an upfront cost of $931.12.

Image credit: Silent Yachts

Source: TeslaNorth

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SpaceX fires employees criticizing founder Elon Musk

SpaceX has fired five people from its team after they shared a letter criticizing company founder Elon Musk.

According to Reuters, the letter titled “an open letter to the Executives of SpaceX” said Musk was a “distraction and embarrassment.” It listed three demands; SpaceX separates itself from Musk’s personal brand, holds leadership accountable for making SpaceX a more inclusive workplace, and responds to “all forms of unacceptable behaviour.”

The New York Times reported Gwynne Shotwell, president of SpaceX, sent employees a follow-up email after the dismissals, saying the firings were for making others feel “uncomfortable, intimidated and bullied, and/or angry because the letter pressured them to sign onto something that did not reflect their views.”

Musk is currently in the process of buying Twitter, and his current plans involve cutting the company’s workforce if the deal goes through, according to a pitch deck recently shared with potential investors.

During a presentation to Twitter employees, Musk said the social media company “needs to get healthy” financially as “right now costs exceed revenue.”

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Reuters

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Starlink available for immediate shipping to 32 countries

BAYONNE, FRANCE – CIRCA JANUARY 2021: Starlink app on Apple iPhone screen. Starlink is a satellite internet constellation being constructed by SpaceX to provide satellite internet access.

Starlink is now available in 32 countries.

The satellite internet service by SpaceX is available to be “shipped immediately,” a tweet from SpaceX states.

It’s available in parts of Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. According to an interactive map posted on the company’s website, the same goes for parts of Europe, South America, Australia, and New Zealand.

Starlink lists the service as ‘coming soon for the entire content of Africa,’ with the starting year of 2023. The same goes for several countries across Asia, including Kazakhstan, Cambodia, and Indonesia.

Starlink provides a more specific date for the remaining parts of Canada, saying the service will be available in the first quarter of 2023. The service is already available in parts of the Prairies, Ontario, and Quebec. The Government of Quebec is also using the service to provide internet access to 10,000 homes in the province.

Many countries in Asia, including Russia, China, and Afghanistan, are coloured black instead of a shade of blue on the map, indicating SpaceX has no public plans to bring the service to these countries at present.

You can view the map here.

Image credit: Shutterstock

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Starlink to provide internet access to 10,000 underserved homes in Quebec

The Government of Quebec is tapping on SpaceX’s shoulder to fulfill its promise of delivering high-speed internet to underserved communities.

Gilles Belanger, the parliamentary assistant to the premier for high-speed internet, said the company’s low-earth orbit satellites, offered through Starlink, were the best option to connect remote homes that are hard to reach through fibre optics, according to a report from The Canadian Press outlines.

“The only solution to connect these orphaned households is the SpaceX solution. I’m not linking to Elon Musk, I’m linking to the technology solution, which is the most advanced,” Belanger said.

Starlink will provide internet access to 10,000 homes with 100Mbps download speeds. The Government of Quebec is providing $50 million in funding. The homes will be connected by September 30th.

Image credit: Shutterstock 

Source: The Canadian Press 

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Lifestyle News

Tourists, including a Canadian, fly to the space station

SpaceX will send four space travelers, including one Canadian, to the International Space Station (ISS) this Friday (April 8) for a 10-day stay.

The AX-1 mission will launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at around 11:15 a.m. with Michael Lopez-Alegría, a commander and former NASA astronaut who has been in space four times. He will be accompanied by three tourists, Canadian Mark Pathy – resident of Mavrik Corp. and chairman of Stingray Group, and Israeli businessman Eytan Stibbe and American Larry Connor.

This is not the first time tourists have visited ISS. In 2009, the then boss of Cirque du Soleil Guy Laliberté made such a trip. But at that time, it was the Russians who transported the traveler on a Soyuz rocket. This time, the company is totally American.

Such a trip aboard a SpaceX Falcon rocket and ISS is not for everyone. It would cost $50 million (US) for each traveler to reserve a seat.

This fee may seem and is exorbitant, but you have to understand the costs associated with such a trip to understand the hefty bill that comes with it. NASA explains that it costs $2000 per day per person for food. To that, you have to add the cost of transporting supplies , which amounts to between $88,000 and $164,000 per day per person. NASA adds 5.2 million per visitor for the supervision that the astronauts provide on board the space station and NASA ‘s fees amount to $4.8 million (US). The rest of the bill is split into profits for the trip organizers.

This trip marks the second SpaceX tourist trip to space. The first time, last September, the travelers did not go to the ISS. Instead, they continued their journey beyond the space station, 575 km from Earth.

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Musk is going the Trump route, wants to build his own social media platform

After automotive, internet, and space exploration, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is now “giving serious thought” to venturing into the social media business.

It all started with Musk criticizing Twitter, stating that the platform doesn’t allow for free speech, and a subsequent poll where he asked whether people “believe Twitter rigorously adheres to this principle?”

A whopping 70.4 percent voted that they don’t believe Twitter provides a platform where users can express themselves freely. I wouldn’t take that percentage at face value, as it’s likely an inflated figure, owing to Musk fanboys.

“Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy. What should be done?” said Musk, which was closely followed by another Tweet with the world’s richest person asking, “Is a new platform needed?”

Of course, free speech is essential to a functioning democracy, but Twitter — a private company — doesn’t have any obligation to adhere to said principles, similar to how Musk’s private company Tesla doesn’t adhere to free speech principles, either. The company recently fired an employee for uploading videos to YouTube showing flaws in the company’s Full-Self Driving Beta.

Regardless, Musk says he’s “giving serious thought” to the idea of building his own social media platform. And while his Twitter fingers are always active, I would take the Tweet with a grain of salt. Execution of such platforms is easier said than done. Take former U.S. president Donald Trump’s ‘Truth Social’ or Twitter competitors Parler and Gettr, for example. Those are all platforms that push for free speech, but haven’t seen the level of success big players like Meta and Twitter have.

Source: @elonmusk