Lifeboat Foundation

SpaceX drone ship Just Read The Instructions (JRTI) has departed Port Canaveral in anticipation of the company’s sixth consecutive Starlink launch.

Known as Starlink 4–12, the mission will be SpaceX’s sixth uninterrupted Starlink launch – just shy of the company’s record of seven Starlink launches between commercial payloads. Though SpaceX would probably prefer to avoid month-long streaks without commercial launches, the company’s ability to use its own launch capabilities to deploy its Starlink constellation means that it can maintain valuable economies of scale while simultaneously launching satellites that generate some revenue.

With approximately 200,000 active subscribers, Starlink should already be generating around ~$250 million in annual revenue – perhaps enough to pay for anywhere from five to ten Starlink launches. Viewed another way, $250M would also pay the average annual salaries of more than 2,300 employees. Even if it doesn’t come close to the $1–2 billion SpaceX is likely spending annually on Starlink development, deployment, and operations, it’s still better than the alternative that all other launch providers are left with: nothing.

Russia has asked China for military support, including drones, as well as economic assistance for its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, according to conversations CNN had with two US officials.

The requests came after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, one of the officials said. That official declined to detail the Chinese reaction but indicated that the Chinese had responded.

Potential assistance from the Chinese would be a significant development in Russia’s invasion. It could upend the hold Ukrainian forces still have in the country as well as provide a counterweight to the harsh sanctions imposed on Russia’s economy.

To maintain peak efficiency, solar cells must be regularly cleaned of dust and other accumulated dirt. However, many panels are installed in high or hard-to-reach locations, which makes cleaning them difficult, time-consuming, and also simply dangerous. One solution is to use aerial drones to spray soapy water on dirty solar panels. However, these drones often run out of battery quite quickly. In addition, they also do not make direct contact with the panels, so they may not completely wash away dirt.

To solve these problems, a Belgian startup, ART Robotics, has developed HELIOS, an automated cleaning service for solar panels. It’s a fully autonomous system that can access difficult-to-reach places and eliminates dangerous and costly work.

Continue reading “Meet HELIOS, an automated solar panel cleaning system” »

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has unveiled its latest jet-powered robotic drone, the Gambit, which is designed to use artificial intelligence and autonomous systems to fly alongside human-piloted aircraft and achieve air dominance.

General Atomics is known mainly for its drones like the SkyGuardian or the Mojave – robotic aircraft with very long endurance that can loiter over an area for extended periods for either reconnaissance or while awaiting the signal to take out a ground target with missiles like the Hellfire.

Now, the company has joined competitors like Boeing and Kratos to produce a full-on combat drone with the lines and performance of a fighter jet. According to GA-ASI President David R. Alexander, Gambit is an Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP), a flying team-mate that will work with piloted aircraft, penetrating into combat zones to detect, identify, and target adversaries at range and scale before they can become a threat to its human partner. In this way, fewer lives are put at risk and more time is gained for critical decision-making.

Elon Musk’s Starlink internet project continues to move forward, launch by launch.

SpaceX launched another 47 internet-beaming satellites from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday morning.

Continue reading “Watch a SpaceX rocket fly for a record 11th time” »

A series of experiments using paper airplanes reveals new aerodynamic effects, a team of scientists has discovered. Its findings enhance our understanding of flight stability and could inspire new types of flying robots and small drones.

“The study started with simple curiosity about what makes a good paper airplane and specifically what is needed for smooth gliding,” explains Leif Ristroph, an associate professor at New York University’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and an author of the study, which appears in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics. “Answering such basic questions ended up being far from child’s play. We discovered that the aerodynamics of how paper airplanes keep level flight is really very different from the stability of conventional airplanes.”

“Birds glide and soar in an effortless way, and paper airplanes, when tuned properly, can also glide for long distances,” adds author Jane Wang, a professor of engineering and physics at Cornell University. “Surprisingly, there has been no good mathematical model for predicting this seemingly simple but subtle gliding flight.”