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 by Staff Writers Washington DC (SPX) Jul 15, 2021
LaserCube, Stellar Project's frst optical communication terminal for small satellites, has been launched into space onboard D-Orbit's ION Satellite Carrier in SpaceX's Falcon 9 Transporter-2 mission. Now, the company is ready to test the payload in orbit. Padua - Stellar Project space technology startup, launches LaserCube Maiden Flight. The payload hosted on D-Orbit's ION Carrier has lifted off onboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 Transporter-2 Mission, on the 30th of June from the Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) in Cape Canaveral, Florida. LaserCube is a proprietary and patented miniature low-power, high-performance laser communication terminal. It has been explicitly designed for CubeSats and smallsats with a mass of 2 Kg ftting in 2 CubeSat units. LaserCube features an independent and accurate pointing capability allowing throughput performance more than ten times higher than state-of-the-art radiofrequency solutions for small satellites and data transmission in downlink at a speed of 1 Gbit/s. With its unprecedented properties, LaserCube will create business opportunities in the growing New Space Economy, including Earth Imagery, weather forecasting, global telecommunications and internet services, Internet of things (IoT), and Machine-to-machine (M2M). LaserCube, as the optical telecommunication highway for small satellites, will deliver an unprecedented increase in space-borne data volume, communication security, and speed: another step towards accessible and affordable space technology for all. After successfully completing the laboratory test on the ground, Stellar Project is ready to demonstrate and confrm the payload's functionality in orbit. The payload is integrated onboard D-Orbit's ION Satellite Carrier (ION), the orbital transport vehicle of the space logistics company, which according to a test plan agreed with Stellar Project, will manage operations and collect all relevant data to complete the experiment. The test will take place at 535 kilometers from Earth, during the 4 months following the launch to transmit all mission data to the ground. The in-fight demonstration will directly involve the Italian Space Agency ASI and its Laser Ranging Observatory, located at the Centre for Space Geodesy in Matera, in southern Italy. LaserCube was developed with the collaboration of the University of Padua and the support of the Italian Space Agency and the European Space Agency as part of the ARTES program. "We are very happy and proud to have accomplished the frst part of this mission." said Alessandro Francesconi, co-founder, and CEO of Stellar Project. "This frst step towards the efcient use of optical bandwidth in space will help reduce the existing asymmetry between terrestrial and space communication networks. Additionally, it will make space applications based on optical communications, which as of today are only accessible to large budget companies, affordable at low cost to small and medium-sized companies." As the mission continues, Stellar Project is already planning more missions to follow by the frst quarter of 2022.
Training an AI eye on the moon Thuwal, Saudi Arabia (SPX) Jul 14, 2021 A Moon-scanning method that can automatically classify important lunar features from telescope images could significantly improve the efficiency of selecting sites for exploration. There is more than meets the eye to picking a landing or exploration site on the Moon. The visible area of the lunar surface is larger than Russia and is pockmarked by thousands of craters and crisscrossed by canyon-like rilles. The choice of future landing and exploration sites may come down to the most promising ... read more
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