China begins constructing a brand new megaconstellation. The first batch of Internet satellites for China’s Guowang megaconstellation launched Monday on the nation’s heavy-lift Long March 5B rocket, Ars experiences. The satellites are the primary of as much as 13,000 spacecraft a consortium of Chinese firms plans to construct and launch over the subsequent decade. The Guowang fleet will beam low-latency high-speed Internet alerts in an structure much like SpaceX’s Starlink community, though Chinese officers have not laid out any specifics, corresponding to goal markets, service specs, or consumer terminals.
No falling particles, this time … China used its strongest operational rocket, the Long March 5B, for the job of launching the primary 10 Guowang satellites this week. The Long March 5B’s giant core stage, which entered orbit on the rocket’s earlier missions and triggered considerations about falling area particles, fell right into a predetermined location within the sea downrange from the launch web site. The distinction for this mission was the addition of the Yuanzheng 2 higher stage, which gave the rocket’s payloads the additional oomph they wanted to succeed in their focused low-Earth orbit. (submitted by Ken the Bin and EllPeaTea)
Elon Musk’s safety clearance below evaluate. A brand new investigation from The New York Times means that SpaceX founder Elon Musk has not been reporting his journey actions and different data to the Department of Defense as required by his top-secret clearance, Ars experiences. According to the newspaper, considerations about Musk’s reporting practices have led to evaluations by three completely different our bodies throughout the army: the Air Force, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, and the Defense Department Office of Inspector General. However, not one of the federal businesses cited within the Times article has accused Musk of revealing categorized materials.
It will not matter … Since 2021, Musk has did not self-report particulars of his life, together with journey actions, folks he has met, and drug use, in accordance with the Times. The authorities can be involved that SpaceX didn’t guarantee Musk’s compliance with the reporting guidelines. Musk’s nationwide safety profile has risen following his deep-pocketed and full-throated assist of Donald Trump, who gained the US presidential marketing campaign in November and shall be sworn into workplace subsequent month. After this inauguration, Trump can have the facility to grant safety clearance to whomever he needs.
