TYB
SpaceX launches 23 Starlink satellites during 3rd launch in under 24 hours
Mar 4, 2024
SpaceX is keeping its rapid launch cadence going.
The company launched yet another batch of 23 Starlink internet satellites at 6:56 p.m. ET (2356 GMT) on Monday (March 4) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Some eight minutes after liftoff, the flight's booster returned to the planet, landing on SpaceX's droneship dubbed "A Shortfall of Gravitas." The ship was waiting offshore in the Atlantic Ocean.
With the mission lifting off on time, and SpaceX having launched the Transporter-10 rideshare mission at 5:05 p.m. ET on Monday, three Falcon 9 rocket launches happened in a span of less than 24 hours. The third owes itself to the company's successful Crew-8 astronaut mission launch to the International Space Station on Sunday (March 3).
Monday's Starlink mission marked the 13th flight for this particular Falcon 9 first stage booster. The booster previously flew on eight other Starlink missions, the CRS-27 resupply mission to the ISS and a number of private launches including ispace's Hakuto-R lunar lander mission.
The mission was SpaceX's 21st Falcon 9 flight of 2024. It also marked 281 successful Falcon 9 booster landings.
SpaceX has been launching Starlink satellites with increasing regularity; before this mission, its most recent launch was on Feb. 29, Leap Day, when another 23 Starlink satellites made their way to space from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The company is building a massive megaconstellation of Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit to provide wireless, high-speed internet access across the world, for both general consumer usage as well as for use in war zones or disaster areas.
The company currently has over 5,000 working Starlink satellites in orbit and has approval to launch up to 12,000.
https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-6-41-internet-satellites-launch
BlackSky wins defense contract to supply satellite data to train AI models
March 4, 2024
BlackSky, a supplier of satellite imagery and space-based intelligence, won a $2 million U.S. defense contract to provide data to train AI models.
The contract was awarded by the defense contractor Axient on behalf of the Air Force Research Laboratory. Axient in September 2023 won a contract from AFRL worth up to $25 million for space experiments.
Axient will use BlackSkyâs satellite imagery and data analytics platform to support studies and technology demonstrations focused on tracking moving objects from space.
Specifically, these studies will âcollect and annotate thousands of BlackSky multi-frame burst images to train moving target artificial intelligence models for commercial motion imagery,â BlackSky said March 4 in a news release.
Multi-frame burst images taken by satellites refer to sequences of consecutive video frames captured by satellites within a short timeframe, typically seconds. Using this data, the AFRL experiments will seek to identify moving objects from space more accurately and recognize patterns of life.
âThis foundational work is expected to help decrease the time to develop moving target algorithms for other related customer-led initiatives,â said Patrick OâNeil, BlackSky chief technology officer.
Burst imagery used for movement detection
Multi-frame burst images are collected in rapid succession during a single satellite pass over an area of interest. âWith multiple view angles captured within a matter of seconds, burst imagery can be used to generate 3D volumetric products and very accurate movement-oriented detection analytics,â the company said.
The contract includes access to BlackSkyâs Spectra satellite-tasking and analytics platform.
AFRL, located at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, awarded Axient, based in Huntsville, Alabama, a $25 million task order in September 2023 for âintegrated space experimentsâ to be performed over the next three years. Axient awarded BlackSky a $2 million task order in November 2023.
https://spacenews.com/blacksky-wins-defense-contract-to-supply-satellite-data-to-train-ai-models/
Terran Orbital wins $15 million contract for U.S. Space Force satellite experiments
Mar 5, 2025
Terran Orbital, a manufacturer of small satellites, announced March 5 it won a $15 million contract for hardware and integration services in support of U.S. Space Force experiments.
The contract was awarded by the defense contractor Axient Corp. on behalf of the Air Force Research Laboratory. Axient in September 2023 won a contract from AFRL to manage small-satellite military experiments.
Terran Orbital got a task order from Axient to supply two of the companyâs Ambassador-class satellite platforms and support equipment, and to integrate payloads for upcoming U.S. Space Force missions.
The satellites will be integrated with a platform known as ESPA Grande, a payload adapter designed to facilitate rideshare missions by providing additional payload capacity on national security launch vehicles.
ESPA Grande buses are often used for small national security payloads. Terran Orbitalâs Ambassador spacecraft is the largest allowed by the ESPA Grande interface for rideshare missions.
Delivery within 12 months
Terran Orbitalâs chief executive Marc Bell said the Ambassador platforms for this contract, to be delivered within 12 months, are similar to those provided for the Space Development Agencyâs Tranche 1 Transport Layer satellites produced by Lockheed Martin.
AFRL, located at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, awarded Axient, based in Huntsville, Alabama, a $25 million task order in September 2023 for âintegrated space experimentsâ to be performed over the next three years. Axient awarded Terran Orbital the $15 million task order in December 2023.
https://spacenews.com/terran-orbital-wins-15-million-contract-for-u-s-air-force-satellite-experiments/
>40k ft view
Oklahomans Amazed at Possible UFO in the Skies Over the Sooner State
March 5, 2024
Not only did the sky above Oklahoma light up with an amazing display of light, but social media filled up with instant conspiracy theories.
Did the Sooner State witness a UFO in plain sight?
Here's the video one user captured on the TikTok⌠You can see it for yourself.
Even if you already know where this is going, you can't deny that had to be an amazing thing to see in person⌠granted, there were a ton of Oklahomans who saw it happen and instantly hopped on Facebook to ask questions and spread theories.
Given the super-sensitive nature of people in the heartland of America at the moment⌠with the wildfires and rumors of directed energy weapons testing that may have sparked all of the chaosâŚ
it's almost understandable people would instantly leap to UFOs⌠After all, the federal government did acknowledge UFOs under oath not long ago.
It wasn't a UFO. Not aliens. Not directed energy weapons. None of that. It was a space launch.
On Monday, March 4 at 6:56 p.m. ET, Falcon 9 launched 23 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
We happened to catch the show in Oklahoma as they launched more satellites for the worldwide mobile internet technology. If you've ever seen the Starlink satellites pass overhead, it's also pretty neat.
As you can see, there is no need to start hoarding tinfoil just yetâŚ
https://z94.com/oklahoma-ufo/
Bizarre three-fingered âalien mummiesâ are real and contain unique DNA, filmmakers say
March 5, 2024, 11:17 a.m. ET
A pair of filmmakers documenting a new set of âalien mummiesâ found in Peru claim the bizarre three-fingered figures are the genuine article containing unique DNA â as they fight back against scientists who say the specimens are clearly dolls made for tourists.
Filmmakers Serena DC and Michael Mazzola told The US Sun that they are documenting two mummified aliens that are different from the ones found in Peru that made headlines last year, with the pair aiming to present their âincredibleâ evidence at a news conference in West Hollywood, Calif., on March 12.
Sharing new images of the 4-foot-tall figures, the duo claimed X-rays and examinations show that their subjects are not fake, and while they might not be extraterrestrials, they could be evidence of a new species affected by âgenetic manipulation.â
âThereâs a big story that has huge implications that could really just change the humanity story,â Serena told the outlet. âItâs akin to finding Jesusâ shroud or the Ark of the Covenant.â
Much like controversial journalist and UFO enthusiast JosĂŠ Jaime Maussan, who has previously promoted other âalien mummiesâ found in Peru and brought to Mexico, Serena and Mazzola said an analysis showed that their figures had 30% âunknownâ DNA.
As they touted their documentary, the pair also blasted scientists and the press over reports dismissing the âalien mummiesâ as a hoax after Mexican lawmakers held a hearing on the subject.
The greater scientific community has slammed the specimens as fake, with Peruvian officials also stating that the figures were just dolls fashioned from human and animal parts.
âTheyâre not extraterrestrials. Theyâre dolls made from animal bones from this planet joined together with modern synthetic glue,â said Flavio Estrada, an archeologist with Peruâs Institute for Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, during a press conference in January.
âItâs totally a made-up story,â Estrada said.
Officials at the Lima conference speculated that the dolls could also be mutilated Peruvian mummies but dismissed any notion that they were extraterrestrials.
DC and Mazzola say the discovery of the âmummiesâ have been âunfairly discredited,â as they hope their documentary will push scientists to take the specimens seriously.
âThe data coming out of Peru is extremely compelling and deserves to be replicated by scientists willing to do actual science instead of playing PR games,â Mazzola told The Sun.
https://nypost.com/2024/03/05/world-news/bizarre-three-fingered-alien-mummies-are-real-and-contain-unique-dna-filmmakers-say/