Environmental groups, represented by Earthjustice, are petitioning the FCC to conduct a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) before approving applications for orbital datacenters. They cite concerns over cumulative environmental impacts from proposals seeking over a million satellites.
India aims to become a major global space economy player by enabling private companies to build satellite constellations for high-speed internet, driven by government reforms and a 'dharmic' entrepreneurial spirit.
SpaceX has been awarded two contracts totaling $6.45 billion by the US Space Force to develop satellite constellations. One contract, worth $4.16 billion, is for the "Space-Based Aerial Mobile Target Indication" (SB-AMTI) system, designed to detect and track aerial targets from space. The other, valued at $2.29 billion, is for the "Space Data Network" backbone.
China's new Long March 12B rocket launched the 'Qianfan' satellite constellation on May 1st without prior warning, raising safety concerns for air and sea traffic. Analysts criticize China for not adhering to international safety norms.
Europe relies on non-European satellites for security, lacking strategic autonomy. The author proposes 'Constellation Europe,' a federated network of over 1,000 European-owned satellites for sovereign space-based intelligence, citing ICEYE's rapid deployment to Poland as a model.
Blue Origin successfully launched its New Glenn rocket, showcasing reusable booster technology with a vertical landing. This achievement, acknowledged by Elon Musk, comes amidst ongoing regulatory disputes between Amazon and SpaceX concerning satellite proposals. Both companies are vying for FCC approval for large satellite constellations, highlighting a competitive landscape in space infrastructure.
