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Geostationary Orbit

All articles tagged with #geostationary orbit

space13 days ago

SpaceX to launch 7.5-ton SiriusXM SXM-11 to refresh its satellite fleet

SpaceX will loft SXM-11, a 7.5-ton SiriusXM satellite built on the IM-1300 bus, aboard a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral to replace aging GEO satellites and expand SiriusXM’s coverage in Alaska, the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean. The 8–9 minute flight will conclude with a drone-ship landing, during a four-hour launch window with favorable weather; SXM-11 is the fleet’s most powerful high‑powered satellite, following SXM-10 launched in 2025 and expected to remain in service for years to come.

via Spaceflight Now|
#falcon-9#geostationary-orbit#siriusxm
Space elevators: could we climb to orbit on a 100,000-km tether?
technology13 days ago

Space elevators: could we climb to orbit on a 100,000-km tether?

A space elevator could, in theory, haul cargo and passengers to orbit via a ground-anchored tether extending ~100,000 km, balanced by a counterweight and powered by electricity from solar or ground-based sources. It promises dramatically cheaper, cleaner access to space, but faces huge hurdles: materials stronger than anything we can currently manufacture (carbon nanotubes at requisite lengths), relentless orbital debris, and massive political and financial coordination requirements. For now it remains a visionary concept rather than an imminent reality.

via BBC Sky at Night Magazine|
#carbon-nanotubes#geostationary-orbit#renewable-energy
Rocket Lab clinches Space Force's inaugural GEO satellite program
military1 month ago

Rocket Lab clinches Space Force's inaugural GEO satellite program

Rocket Lab has won a $90 million U.S. Space Force contract to design, build, and operate two geostationary satellites using its Lightning bus to monitor objects in GEO. The program marks its first GEO satellite production effort and includes spacecraft manufacturing, launch integration, and up to five years of on-orbit operations. The satellites will carry Heimdall electro-optical payloads for space-domain awareness as part of a broader Space Force push to deploy distributed, commercially derived surveillance in geostationary orbit.

via SpaceNews|
#geostationary-orbit#heimdall-payloads#military
2-Watt GEO Laser Achieves 1 Gbps Ground Link
technology1 month ago

2-Watt GEO Laser Achieves 1 Gbps Ground Link

A Chinese team demonstrated a 1 Gbps optical downlink from a geostationary satellite to a ground telescope using only 2 watts of transmitter power. By combining adaptive optics and mode-diversity reception, they recovered a usable signal despite atmospheric turbulence, showing that low-power GEO laser links can achieve high data rates and enable continuous, ground-connected space communications—though this remains a single demonstration with specialized ground infrastructure, not a commercial service.

via The Daily Galaxy|
#adaptive-optics#geostationary-orbit#ground-stations
Falcon Heavy Returns to Flight with ViaSat-3 F3 Payload from Kennedy Space Center
space2 months ago

Falcon Heavy Returns to Flight with ViaSat-3 F3 Payload from Kennedy Space Center

SpaceX plans to launch its Falcon Heavy for the first time in 18 months on April 27 from Kennedy Space Center, carrying the ViaSat-3 F3 communications satellite to geostationary orbit to provide high‑throughput broadband across the Asia‑Pacific region. The two side boosters are expected to land back at Cape Canaveral, while the central booster will not be recovered; the upper stage will deploy ViaSat-3 F3 to GEO about five hours after liftoff. Coverage will be available live from SpaceX and Space.com, continuing Falcon Heavy’s return to flight after its last mission in October 2024.

via Yahoo|
#falcon-heavy#geostationary-orbit#kennedy-space-center
US GSSAP Sats Bracket China’s Shijian-29 in GEO
space-and-defense3 months ago

US GSSAP Sats Bracket China’s Shijian-29 in GEO

Commercial space-domain data show USA 324 and USA 325 (GSSAP) bracket and then hand off to monitor China’s Shijian-29A/B in geostationary orbit, providing continuous surveillance from opposite sides of the GEO belt from March 14–18; Shijian-29, launched December 2025, appears to be part of tech verification for space-target detection, highlighting rising proximity operations among major powers in GEO.

via SpaceNews|
#geostationary-orbit#gssap#rendezvous-proximity-operations
Geostationary 2-Watt Laser Delivers 1Gbps Ground Link, Outpaces Starlink
technology3 months ago

Geostationary 2-Watt Laser Delivers 1Gbps Ground Link, Outpaces Starlink

Chinese researchers demonstrated a 1 Gbps optical downlink from a geostationary satellite about 36,000 km away using a 2-watt laser and a ground receiver built to correct atmospheric distortion, achieving higher speeds than Starlink and showing how adaptive optics plus multi-plane light conversion can recover usable data through turbulence.

via The Daily Galaxy|
#adaptive-optics#geostationary-orbit#laser
space4 months ago

SpaceX to loft EchoStar-25 direct TV satellite from Cape Canaveral

SpaceX plans to launch EchoStar-25, a Dish Network direct-broadcast satellite built by Lanteris Space, atop a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral to GEO via a geosynchronous transfer orbit, with a 149-minute window and a plan to land the first stage on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas; the satellite operates in the 12.2–12.7 GHz (space-to-Earth) and 17.3–17.8 GHz (Earth-to-space) bands and represents EchoStar’s latest Dish satellite in its long-running collaboration with SpaceX, which follows EchoStar’s 2025 spectrum sale for Starlink Mobile.

via Spaceflight Now|
#echostar#echostar-25#falcon-9
Disintegrating Russian Inspector Satellite Sparks GEO Debris Concerns
space-exploration5 months ago

Disintegrating Russian Inspector Satellite Sparks GEO Debris Concerns

Ground-based imagery shows Russia's Luch/Olymp inspector satellite, retired to a graveyard orbit above GEO in Oct 2025, appears to have fragmented and begun tumbling, with additional debris pieces spotted on Jan 30, 2026. If confirmed, the fragmentation suggests an external impact or other failure and raises concerns about debris in the geostationary belt and its graveyard region, especially given Russia's continued operation of a second Luch/Olymp asset.

via Space|
#geostationary-orbit#lucholymp#russia
SpainSat NG 2 Satellite Encounters Space Particle Impact, Activates Contingency Plans
space6 months ago

SpainSat NG 2 Satellite Encounters Space Particle Impact, Activates Contingency Plans

A Spanish military communications satellite, SpainSat NG 2, launched in October 2024, was struck by a 'space particle' while maneuvering in orbit, potentially affecting its mission. The incident occurred at about 50,000 km altitude, possibly involving micrometeoroids or space weather effects, but not orbital debris. The satellite's operator, Indra Group, is analyzing the damage and has contingency plans, including potential replacement, which could take years. The satellite is part of a European secure communications network.

via SpaceNews|
#geostationary-orbit#space#space-debris
Mystery Surrounds 56-Year-Old Skynet-1A Satellite's Unexpected Orbit Shift
space8 months ago

Mystery Surrounds 56-Year-Old Skynet-1A Satellite's Unexpected Orbit Shift

Skynet-1A, a British military satellite launched in 1969 and inactive since 1971, has mysteriously changed its orbit in 2024, likely due to onboard thrusters being used, raising concerns about space debris and collision risks in congested geostationary orbit. The incident highlights issues of space debris management, historical record loss, and the need for responsible space stewardship.

via Indian Defence Review|
#geostationary-orbit#satellite-maneuvering#skynet-1a