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So This is my first post here long time lurker, But today the Space X rocket blew up on the launch pad if you weren't aware. I am a welder at Kennedy Space Center and before launch a lot of us were noticing strange lights in the sky above the pad. About 20 minutes before launch there was an impression in the clouds (its rainy here) of a oblong shape you could almost see the blue sky through it then 3 white lights appeared in the center of it and then just disappeared with a blink of an eye they were visible for maybe 20 seconds. 20 minutes later the rocket explodes on the pad maybe it's a coincidence I don't know but hopefully some of you have insight unfortunatley I have no pictures. (We are not allowed to have our phones on us in our hanger due to "safety reasons" they stay in our locker till we clock out.)
AMOS-6
Scheduled for launch in 2016 to the 4°W orbital position, Spacecom’s AMOS-6 satellite includes 3 Ku-Band beams: Middle East, Central East Europe (CEE) and Pan-European; and 36 HTS Ka-band spot beams over sub-Sahara Africa and Europe.
AMOS-6 strengthens 4°W orbital location with wider coverage and new services. AMOS-6 high power and large amount of Ku-band transponders offer Spacecom’s existing and new customers a reliable growth-engine for their business. AMOS-6 enhances Spacecom’s existing service offering by supporting a full range of services, including Direct-To-Home (DTH), video distribution, VSAT communications and broadband Internet.
IAI is wholly owned by the government of Israel.
The EU is providing generous R&D (research and development) subsidies to Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), the state-owned manufacturer of Israeli ‘drones’ and other ‘battlefield solutions’. Some of the grants are for IAI to adapt its killer robots for use within the EU.
June 7, 2016 - Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) reveals the innovative compact Phased Array SATCOM for the ground soldiers at EUROSATORY 2016. The ELK-1882A "On-the-Move" (OTM) Personal SATCOM micro-terminal provides personal bi-directional voice and data communication for lower echelon ground combatants.
Designed by IAI's ELTA Group, the ELK-1882A micro-terminal comprises a phased array antenna, a Software Design Radio (SDR) module, and an energy module or battery-pack. Operating in the Ku frequency band via commercial geostationary communications satellites, it complies with ITU spectrum density regulations and commercial communication satellite operator standards. Optional applications include VOIP, telemetry, SMS, narrowband communication and relay capabilities, such as combat voice network SATCOM backhaul.
In today's dynamic battlefield enabling continuous OTM communication for lower echelon Special Forces and dismounted soldiers, as well as for platoon, company and battalion commanders is imperative. Operations of independent small forces frequently take place in locations which are Beyond-Line-Of-Sight (BLOS). At the present time, these fighting forces rely on either Line-of-Sight (LOS) systems which cannot provide continuous and reliable communications, or on mobile or static BLOS systems. The novel micro-terminal BLOS OTM system enables the existing gap between legacy LOS tactical radios to be closed, and allows for an extension of the current soldier communication network to OTM BLOS. The system is designed for BLOS operations of either mounted or dismounted ground forces. In addition, the same phased array antenna technology is adapted to combat vehicles and airborne systems, using a conformal antenna system.
"Reliable, ubiquitous and continuous lower echelon communication for the land soldier has always been a necessity", Mr. Nissim Hadas, IAI Executive VP & ELTA President explained: "the lack of adequate technical solutions has up until now impaired effective real-time sharing of information. We believe that this solution and others of its type will propel land warrior networking capabilities into the 21st century."
Just wanted to throw in with the anonymity of Reddit , as with all sites, without credinals that can be taken with a grain of salt
At the Vatican on Monday, the Facebook founder and CEO, along with his wife, Priscilla Chan, presented Pope Francis with a model of his company's solar-powered drone designed to beam internet connectivity to less developed parts of the world.