Tag: space

SpaceX launches latest GPS 3 navigation satellite in ongoing Space Force upgrade

19Jan

By Gloomberg NewsNo Comments

Science

SpaceX launches latest GPS 3 navigation satellite in ongoing Space Force upgrade

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a GPS 3 navigation satellite climbs away from a low fog bank at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station minutes after sunrise. William Harwood/CBS News Cape Canaveral, Florida — SpaceX launched the latest in a series of more powerful Global Positioning System navigation satellites Wednesday, continuing a U.S. Space Force fleet-wide upgrade to provide improved accuracy and anti-jamming capability. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying the 9,595-pound satellite blasted off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 7:24 a.m. EST and arced away to the northeast over the Atlantic Ocean. After dropping off its previously-flown first stage, which flew itse...

China tests technology that could beam solar power from space to Earth

17Jun

By Gloomberg NewsNo Comments

Science

China tests technology that could beam solar power from space to Earth

Chinese researchers have successfully tested a full-system model of technology that could one day wirelessly transmit solar power from outer space to Earth. A model power station at Xidian University in Shaanxi province captures sunlight high above the ground and converts it into microwave beams. It then transmits through the air to a receiver station on the ground, where it can be converted back to electricity. While the model only sends the energy 55 meters through the air, the researchers hope the technology could one day be expanded to send power from orbiting solar panels to Earth. The research team behind it recently c...