Lazer equipped NASA satellites to revolutionise your internet speed when launched TODAY

November 12, 2017
180 Views


NASA and aerospace firm Orbital ATK will launch lazer-equipped satellites into space on Sunday.

The plans could create 200 megabits per second (Mbps) connections in space through the use of satellites with lazers.

If the launch is successful, this new technology could change the way networks of satellite-connected devices send data.

This will be useful for the military, tech, and meteorological agencies.

The launch of the new satellites is scheduled for 12:14pm (7:14am ET) on Sunday from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

The American company, Orbital ATK, will send its Cygnus spacecraft, complete with NanoRacks CubeSats satellites, to the International Space Station.

NASA believes that the satellites could lead to “significantly enhanced communication speeds between space and Earth and a better understanding of laser communication between small satellites in low-Earth orbit.”

The space agency also said: “Capabilities in proximity operations enable multiple small spacecraft to operate cooperatively during science or exploration missions, approach another spacecraft or object for in-space observation or servicing, or connect small spacecraft together to form larger systems or networks in space,”

The launch was initially scheduled to take place on Saturday but had to be rearranged after an aircraft was spotted in the launch pad zone.

Meanwhile, in the early hours of Monday morning, Venus and Jupiter will rise above the horizon, following an almost identical path.

The result is expected to stun both amateur and professional astronomers alike.

The planets, which happen to be two of the brightest in the solar system, will be an astonishing 0.3 degrees apart in the night’s sky.

This is equivalent to slightly more than half of the Moon’s diameter.

The conjunction is made possible when Venus and Jupiter share the same east to west longitude in the sky, according to Space.com.

Despite being some 416 million miles apart, for a brief period it will appear as if the two planets are orbiting the Sun side by side.

The cosmological website Earthsky.com defines astronomical conjunctions as “the close approach of two or more solar system bodies or a close approach of a single solar system body with another object in the sky.”



Source link

You may be interested

Tesla plans to charge some Model Y owners to unlock more range
Technology
shares13 views
Technology
shares13 views

Tesla plans to charge some Model Y owners to unlock more range

admin - May 05, 2024

[ad_1] Tesla CEO Elon Musk posted on Friday that the Standard Range rear-wheel drive Model Y the company has been…

Anchorman star invests in Leeds United
Entertainment
shares13 views
Entertainment
shares13 views

Anchorman star invests in Leeds United

admin - May 05, 2024

[ad_1] Will Ferrell has become the latest celebrity to invest in Leeds United - joining Gladiator star Russell Crowe and…

Microsoft says it did a lot for responsible AI in inaugural transparency report
Technology
shares26 views
Technology
shares26 views

Microsoft says it did a lot for responsible AI in inaugural transparency report

admin - May 03, 2024

[ad_1] In its Responsible AI Transparency Report, which mainly covers 2023, Microsoft touts its achievements around safely deploying AI products.…

Leave a Comment