SpaceX successfully launched another 60 Starlink satellites into orbit on Monday evening. With 180 satellites (plus two prototypes launched two years ago) now orbiting the planet, SpaceX operates the largest commercial satellite constellation.
What happened: A Falcon 9 rocket delivered 60 more Starlink satellites into a 180-mile altitude orbit. They’ll eventually move up to a 340-mile altitude. The company landed the first stage booster (the vehicle’s fourth flight and landing) on its Atlantic Ocean drone ship, but failed in its attempt to catch a payload fairing half (which costs roughly $3 million).
Starlink, starbright: SpaceX’s constellation puts it ahead of Planet’s 150-strong remote sensing satellite network, but the achievement is not without scrutiny. The company has come under major heat in the last year for its Starlink network creating disturbances in astronomy observations of the night sky. One satellite in the latest batch will test out a new dark coating that could remedy this problem, but it remains to be seen whether this will work.
Next: SpaceX intends to grow the constellation to 12,000 satellites, and perhaps up to a whopping 42,000. It aims to launch 60 Starlink satellites every two weeks from now on.
via Technology Review Feed – Tech Review Top Stories https://ift.tt/1XdUwhl
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX kicked off 2020 with the record-breaking launch of its third batch of Starlink satellites. Sixty of the internet-beaming satellites launched atop a used Falcon 9 booster on Monday, Jan. 6.
The sooty Falcon 9 rocket roared to life at 9:19 p.m. EST (0219 GMT Tuesday), lifting off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station here in Florida. Its nine Merlin 1D engines lit up the night sky above the space coast as it climbed towards orbit.
“Liftoff! Go, Starlink, go, Falcon [on the] Space Force inaugural launch,” a SpaceX launch commentator said. The mission was the first launch under the watch of the newly minted U.S. Space Force, a military branch that President Donald Trump signed into law last month.
The satellites rode into space atop a reused Falcon 9 first stage, marking the second time the company has flown a booster four times. The star of this mission, dubbed B1049.4 by SpaceX, previously lofted the first batch of Starlink satellites as well as the Iridium-8 and Telstar 18 VANTAGE missions.
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(Image credit: SpaceX)
SpaceX successfully launched 60 new Starlink broadband internet satellites into orbit on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida on Jan. 6, 2020. The launch made SpaceX the operator of the largest satellite fleet in space today.
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(Image credit: SpaceX)
The Starlink-2 mission is actually the third Starlink launch for SpaceX, following launches in May 2019 and November 2019. Starlink-2 carried 60 more satellites into orbit for the constellation for a total of 180 Starlink satellites.
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(Image credit: SpaceX)
Here, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket first stage (left) can be seen deploying its grid fins to help its return to Earth. The lights of the U.S. East Coast can be seen in the background. At right, the second stage of the Falcon 9 powers toward orbit.
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(Image credit: SpaceX)
About 8.5 minutes after launch, the first stage of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 returned to Earth for a successful landing on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You stationed 339 miles off the U.S. East Coast in the Atlantic Ocean. This was the fourth flight (and landing) for the reusable booster.
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(Image credit: SpaceX)
The 60 Starlink satellites of SpaceX’s Starlink-2 mission are seen still stacked together on the Falcon 9 second stage after reaching a coasting orbit. In a test, SpaceX coated one of the satellites in a darker material to reduce its albedo, or reflectivity. Astronomers have complained at how bright Starlink satellites are in space.
Following the successful launch, the rocket’s first stage gently touched down on a SpaceX’s drone ship landing platform “Of Course I Still Love You” in the Atlantic Ocean, marking the company’s 48th booster recovery.
SpaceX designed its souped up Falcon 9 rocket to fly as many as 10 times with only light refurbishments in between. The company has yet to fly a booster five times, but with four successful flights under this booster’s belt, it’s likely that it could fly again in the future.
Building a constellation
The launch is part of the private spaceflight company’s plan to create a constellation of small broadband satellites, each weighing slightly more than 485 lbs. (220 kilograms), that will provide internet coverage to the world below. With this launch, it brings SpaceX’s burgeoning constellation up to 180 satellites, making it the largest satellite fleet in orbit.
SpaceX is not the one aerospace company with plans of connecting the globe. OneWeb launched its first set of six satellites in 2019, but SpaceX (with its own rockets) has quickly amassed a sizable constellation.
Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO and founder, has said the company will need at least 400 satellites in orbit to provide minimal coverage, and at least 800 to provide moderate coverage. That coverage could begin sometime this year, with it rolling out first in portions of the U.S. and Canada.
How it works
The goal of SpaceX’s Starlink project is to provide constant high-speed internet access to users around the world. Currently, we rely on wireless cell towers or cables routed into our homes and offices to access the internet. As a result, rural and remote areas are often left without access. SpaceX wants to change that.
Traditional satellite internet providers beam internet coverage down from their satellites perched high above the Earth, in what’s known as geostationary orbit (typically 22,000 miles, or 35,000 kilometers up). The signal has to travel such a long distance, which results in slow connections speeds.
By operating at a lower altitude SpaceX hopes to cut down on this issue and provide reliable coverage at an affordable price.
SpaceX’s Starlink satellites stand out against the night sky. Almost immediately following the first launch, skywatchers noted that the tiny satellites are incredibly bright — even more so than the average satellite. That observation made scientists nervous about how the Starlink constellation could interfere with their work.
Astronomers rely on ground-based telescopes to take long-exposure images of astronomical objects they want to study. When something bright passed in front of the telescope’s field of view, it can obscure the image.
Following the complaints, Musk and SpaceX said they would look into reducing the brightness of the satellites. To that end, the company says one of the satellites launching tonight will be unique. One side of it will be coated in a special material that will make it appear darker in orbit.
If this test goes well, future versions of the satellites could be coated in the same material.
Fairing recovery
One of SpaceX’s fairing catcher boats, GO Ms. Tree, attempted to catch a fairing half in its giant outstretched net Monday night, but failed to snag it, SpaceX officials said.
“We didn’t catch it this time. We got really close,” SpaceX Starlink satellite engineer Laurel Lyons said during live commentary. “But we’re going to keep on trying again.”
Payload fairings (also known as the rocket’s nose cone) are designed to protect the payload during launch. Each fairing is equipped with its own navigation system that allows it to glide gently back to Earth. The Falcon 9’s payload fairing come in two halves that are jettisoned once the rocket reaches space.
With each piece fetching roughly $3 million, SpaceX hopes to save some money by reusing them on future flights. To date, GO Ms. Tree (the vessel formerly known as Mr. Steven) has made two successful catches.
The company acquired a second vessel in order to eventually scoop up both fairing pieces. That ship, dubbed GO Ms. Chief, is sidelined tonight as crews work on necessary repairs due to damage sustained from its last mission.
If you’re reading this, you probablyknow how to upgrade one version of Windows to another. Even though it’s an easy process, it’s still tedious and boring to watch Windows download and install, and then you have to spend more time moving through screens and tweaking settings. Meh.
If you, or someone you know, has been clinging to Windows 7 until the bitter end, you should know that your operating system won’t receive any more security updates past January 15. Now is as good a time as any to finally upgrade your system to Windows 10, especially since it might be free—and because I found a super-simple PowerShell script that makes it easy to perform an unattended upgrade.
In other words, you start the upgrade process, click a dialog box or two in the beginning, and you can then get up and go do something else while Windows 10 downloads and installs automatically. Your system will reboot when it needs to, and the next time you need to click the mouse, you’ll be a minute away from your brand-new OS. Upgrading doesn’t get much easier than this.
Getting started with PowerShell in Windows 7 SP1
Since we need PowerShell to do this quick little upgrade, and PowerShell comes baked into any version of Windows since Windows 7 SP1, make sure you’ve upgraded the operating system at least that far. In other words, just run Windows Update and install whatever it wants you to install (if anything).
Once you’re ready to begin, click on the Start button, type in Powershell, right-click on “Windows Powershell,” and select “Run as Administrator.”
As a security measure, PowerShell is set to not run scripts by default until you change a certain registry key. To do that, type this into Powershell and hit Enter when you’re done:
Set-ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted
You can close PowerShell now. Yes, that’s right.
Typing up your installation script
On your desktop, open up a new text file and copy and paste the following (courtesy of the incredibly helpful /r/PowerShell subreddit):
Feel free to delete the extra blank spaces between the lines, too. Once you’ve done this, close Notepad and save your file with whatever name you want, but change its extension to .PS1 (from .TXT).
Starting your unattended upgrade
Right-click on your new .PS1 file and select “Run with PowerShell.” You’ll probably have to confirm at least one prompt, allowing “Microsoft Windows” to make changes to your computer, but that’s it. A PowerShell window will briefly appear and disappear, and then you won’t see anything else for some time.
If you’re paranoid, like me, you can check that the installation is running by pulling up Task Manager and making sure that the “Windows10UpgraderApp.exe” application is running. (You should see it early on in the process.) Otherwise, go do something else. Your system will automatically restart when it needs to, and the Windows 10 installation will fire off without any additional input from you.
You’ll know it’s done when your computer asks you to do something, which should look like this:
You’re basically just a screen or two away from completion, which should take you all of 15 seconds to check out. Once you hop into Windows 10, you’ll hopefully notice two things: One, all of your data and apps should be where they were originally (since we upgraded from Windows 7, rather than performing a clean install). There’s no guarantee that everything is there—certain programs may have been incompatible and couldn’t be brought along for the ride—but that’s an issue I’ll address in a later article.
The upgrade aspect is critical, though, as you should also have a fully activated version of Windows 10, assuming you came from an activated version of Windows 7. If not, entering your Windows 7 key should be all you need to activate Windows 10, and logging in with your Microsoft account should make the activation process even easier for any subsequent installations.
Don’t forget to reset PowerShell’s execution policy
Remember when we unshackled PowerShell and allowed it to run any scripts it wanted? Well, now’s a great time to reverse that, for security’s sake. Open up PowerShell with administrative privileges (same as before), and enter this:
Set-ExecutionPolicy Restricted
Once you’ve done that, you can close PowerShell and start tricking out Windows 10 to your liking. You probably won’t need to run Windows Update right away, however, as you should already have the most up-to-date version of the OS that Microsoft has available.
This is a short video of a penguin that finds itself on the out-to-sea portion of a splitting glacier and getting separated from its friends (I told you not to eat all those fish!). Thankfully, it’s able to race to the edge and jump and slide back to the group. That was a close call. The time I told my buddy Jamie I could throw a bullseye between his fingers on a dartboard? We’re not friends anymore. "You hit him?" Right in the neck.
Keep going for the winter blockbuster while I recall that penguins can swim, you know.
Thanks to Jessica C, who agrees there’s no way Disney hasn’t already bought the rights.
via Geekologie – Gadgets, Gizmos, and Awesome https://geekologie.com/
For years now, VRgineers has been making VR headsets for the professional and enterprise market, including for government institutions like NASA. This week at CES, however, the company has unveiled its latest and greatest model yet. It’s still called the XTAL, but this time it comes with a whopping 8K resolution, which provides it with a best-in-class crystal clear VR image.
It boasts other features too, such as foveated rendering capabilities, an AR mixed reality module, and improved lenses, which gives it a very immersive 180-degree field-of-view. I tried it on in a demo at a CES evening event, and I was blown away by how crisp and clear the images were. A VRgineer spokesperson told me that I was trying out a very basic version of a VR simulation designed for NASA astronauts. The controls in front of me were so sharp that I could actually see the tiny letters on the keyboard.
I didn’t have a chance to try the controls out, but it also has eye tracking plus the ability to interact virtual worlds with your gaze, voice commands, plus gesture controls. The gesture controls in particular are thanks to the two Leap Motion sensors embedded underneath the headset.
Starting at around $8,000, the XTAL headset isn’t really meant for you and me. As mentioned, it’s really meant for the enterprise, with applications such as employee safety training. Older versions of the XTAL are already in use at the Department of Defense, the US Navy and, as mentioned, NASA. $8,000 is certainly a lot of money for consumers, but when it comes to training future soldiers and astronauts, that might not be such a bad deal.
At CES this week, Epson introduced the EF-100 mini-laser streaming projector with built-in Android TV. It’s a mouthful, but if you’re into projecting your movies at home, the idea of having an Android TV-powered projector is a much more enticing idea versus regular ol’ Android powering a projector (similar to what Puppy Cube does).
According to Epson, the device appears to have full Google Play access, meaning all of your go-to Android TV apps are available for streaming content. That includes Disney+, Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube TV, and all of the others.
As for the actual projection, the EF-100 is capable of projecting an image size of up to 150-inches (max resolution of 1920 x 1080), complete with plenty of color and brightness.
Here are a few of the highlights that Epson points out for the EF-100 projector.
Highlights
Stunning Picture Quality – Imagine an incredibly bright and colorful projected image up to 150 inches on virtually any wall or dedicated screen – even when the lights are on. This is what makes the Epson EF-100 unique and why the EF-100 is quite possibly the most advanced mini-laser projector ever made.
Included Android TV – Built-in Android TV with a simple-to-use remote – including voice search with built-in Google Assistant. Watch all your favorite streaming channels including Netflix, HBO, YouTube, Hulu, ESPN and more. Even stream live TV with apps like YouTube TV. With over 5,000 apps available, there’s always something to watch on your Epson EF-100.
Integrated Audio System – Internal high-quality bass-reflex speaker for impressive audio performance. Additionally, the EF-100 includes a standard 3.5mm stereo output connection with preset tone controls.
Epson MicroLaser Array Projection Technology – Unique multi-array laser diode technology to produce an exceptional level of brightness while significantly enhancing the black density. The result is an exceptionally bright and clear image – far beyond most projectors in this class.
True 3-Chip Projector Design – Advanced 3LCD technology displays 100 percent of the RGB color signal for every frame. This allows for outstanding color accuracy while maintaining excellent brightness, without any “rainbowing” or “color brightness” issues seen with other projection technologies.
Outstanding Brightness – Capable of displaying high-definition content at an exceptional 2,000 lumens of brightness for both color and white content.This not only provides for an exceptional viewing experience but sets a new standard in this class of projection –allowing you to watch content even when the lights are on.
Auto Picture Skew Correction – Depending upon how the Epson EF-100 is oriented, the projector will analyze the projected image and correct the vertical geometry of the picture for a beautiful viewing experience.
Obviously, $1,000 is a lot to spend on an Android TV box, but considering the amount of tech Epson has stuffed into this hardware, it actually sounds pretty tempting.
Thinking about grabbing one for your home theater setup? They’ll be available later this month.
If it wasn’t bad enough that car companies started going to CES to show off technology, now technology companies are going to CES to show off cars. This is the Sony Vision-S concept.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
We don’t believe Sony has any plans to turn this into a production car; it’s a showcase for Sony’s sensors and infotainment.
David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Based on these photos the Vision-S is a fairly attractive sedan. I spy design elements from the Porsche Taycan and Lucid Air.
Sony
The interior isn’t ground-breaking—Byton had a dashboard-width screen on its concept in 2018, and that car goes into production later this year.
The back seats get their own screens.
Sony
Do you think it needs Magic Gate memory sticks?
David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
It seems like just yesterday I was complaining about CES turning into a car show. Someone must have heard me, because it appears the response from the tech sector was to say “hold my beer and watch this…” On Monday evening in Las Vegas, Sony used the last few minutes of its CES keynote to show off a concept electric vehicle called the Vision-S.
Yes, Sony, maker of Walkmen and Playstations and TVs and so on. And yes, an EV concept car, in this case a sedan that, if you squint, looks a bit like a cross between a Porsche Taycan and a Lucid Air. We don’t believe Sony has any plans to start challenging Tesla in the marketplace or to offer a driving experience beyond hooking a steering wheel up to a PS4. Instead, the Vision-S is a showcase for all the enabling technologies that Sony does have a hand in.
There are sensors—33 of them in total, including high-resolution CMOS optical, solid state lidar, radar, and time-of-flight sensors, all of which are fused together to create an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) suite that Sony is calling a “Safety Cocoon” (pdf).
The interior similarly showcases the entertainment technology side of Sony’s business. There’s nothing particularly ground-breaking, but it’s all very on trend, including a massive dashboard-spanning display like the Byton M-Byte we looked at on Monday. And if the concept movie is to be believed, the Vision-S happily syncs with your Sony-built handheld and presumably the rest of your Sony-branded digital lifestyle ephemera.
The concept also involved the input of more traditional automotive suppliers like Continental and Bosch, and we believe it uses a pair of 200kW (268hp) electric motors that can propel it to a top speed of 149mph (240km/h), hitting 62mph (100km/h) from a standstill in 4.8 seconds.
