Copenhagen, Denmark, October 12, 2023 – A.P. Moller – Maersk (London: 0O77) is embarking on a collaboration with Starlink, the pioneering satellite internet constellation developed by Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly referred to as SpaceX. SpaceX was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk of Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA) fame.
Maersk, the global leader of integrated container logistics, will have Starlink installed on more than 330 own operated container vessels. This will enabling high-speed internet with speeds over 200 Mbps, service that is a leap forward in terms of internet speed and latency bringing significant benefits in terms of both crew welfare and business impact.
The agreement comes after a successful pilot phase where crew members on more than 30 Maersk vessels have had the opportunity to test the Starlink technology – resulting in very positive feedback.
A crowd that included Air Force leadership, congressional representatives and senators, executives and plant personnel from the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Corporation attended a ceremony dedicating the delivery of the final F-22 Raptor in Marietta, Ga., May 2. (U.S. Air Force photo/Don Peek)
From Reuters News – Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington, D.C., Editing by Greg Roumeliotis
Dec 20 (Reuters) – Lockheed Martin Corp (NYSE: LMT) said on Sunday that it has agreed acquire U.S. rocket engine manufacturer Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc (NYSE: AJRD) for $4.4 billion, including debt and net cash.
The deal is Lockheed’s biggest acquisition since Jim Taiclet took over as chief executive in June. He is seeking to beef up the company’s propulsion capabilities amid competition from new entrants such as SpaceX and Blue Origin, for space contracts with the U.S. government.
“Acquiring Aerojet Rocketdyne will preserve and strengthen an essential component of the domestic defense industrial base and reduce costs for our customers and the American taxpayer,” Taiclet said in a statement.
Lockheed said it will pay $56 per share for Aerojet Rocketdyne, a 33 percent premium to Friday’s closing price. The purchase price will be reduced to $51 per share after the payment of a pre-closing special dividend, Lockheed added.
The Bethesda, Maryland-based company already uses Aerojet Rocketdyne’s propulsion systems in its aeronautics, missiles and fire control offerings.
Lockheed said the transaction, which is set to be scrutinized by regulators given the company’s leading position in the defense sector, is expected to close in the second half of 2021.
A crowd that included Air Force leadership, congressional representatives and senators, executives and plant personnel from the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Corporation attended a ceremony dedicating the delivery of the final F-22 Raptor in Marietta, Ga., May 2. (U.S. Air Force photo/Don Peek)
SpaceX is targeting Thursday, October 1 at 9:17 a.m. EDT for a Falcon 9 launch of 60 Starlink satellites from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Falcon 9’s first stage previously supported launch of Crew Dragon’s first flight to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts onboard and the ANASIS-II mission. Following stage separation, SpaceX will land Falcon 9’s first stage on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. One of Falcon 9’s fairing halves supported two previous Starlink launches.
The Starlink satellites will deploy approximately 1 hour and 1 minute after liftoff.
This evening, SpaceX launched another rocket from Florida, but this vehicle took a very different kind of path than most flights from the East Coast. Rather than head eastward after launch as most Florida missions do, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket headed south after liftoff, skirting over Florida’s southeast coast and heading over Cuba.
That’s because this mission was headed to what is known as a polar orbit — a path that runs mostly north-to-south over the Earth’s poles. It’s a type of mission you don’t normally see taking place from Florida. In fact, this will be the first time since 1969 that a rocket taking off from Florida heads southward.
Up until now, most polar launches in the US have taken place from the southern coast of California. That way, the rockets fly over open ocean when they head southward and not over populated land. Rockets that launch from Florida head eastward toward the equator, so that they also fly over mostly open ocean before getting to space.
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Tesla (TSLA) posted a surprise second-quarter profit last week on cost cutting and strong deliveries, offsetting the effects of its Covid-19 related factory shutdowns. The report may help the electric vehicle manufacturer gain inclusion into the S&P 500 index (^SPX).
Tesla announced earned net income of $104 million for the quarter, or $0.50 per share. This marks the first time the company has posted four straight quarterly profit, a benchmark for the company to be considered for inclusion in the highly coveted S&P 500.
This marks another major win for Chief Executive Elon Musk, whose quest to lead the global auto industry with Tesla, and the aerospace industry with SpaceX, has increasingly been making major leaps forward.
Musk said last Wednesday that the city of Austin, located in Travis County, would be the site of Tesla’s newest factory. The victory for Texas comes at a loss for Oklahoma, which also was seeking to have the factory land in Tulsa. The facility seeks to create as many as 5,000 new jobs. The County offered up to $65 million in tax rebates to entice the company, and plans to begin construction in the third quarter.
The additional plant is slated to produce Model 3 and Model Y vehicles for the Eastern half of the United States, as well as a potential new Tesla Semi truck and its Cybertruck pickup. Elon Musk has stated that his cars are not affordable enough yet for the average consumer, and he hopes to develop a plan to address that issue.
The company also needs to address its growing need for affordable battery cell production, and is looking to expand its partnerships with Panasonic Corp <PCRFY> and Contemporary Amperex Technology of China (CATL) <300750.SZ>.
SpaceX is targeting Monday, July 20 for Falcon 9’s launch of the ANASIS-II mission, which will lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The primary launch window opens at 5:00 p.m. EDT, or 21:00 UTC, and closes at 8:55 p.m. EDT, or 00:55 UTC on July 21.Falcon 9’s first stage previously launched Crew Dragon to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley on board.
Following stage separation, SpaceX will land Falcon 9’s first stage on the “Just Read the Instructions” droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. The ANASIS-II spacecraft will deploy about 32 minutes after liftoff. Per the customer’s request, live coverage will end shortly after first stage landing.You can watch the launch webcast here, starting about 15 minutes before liftoff.
SpaceX’s Dragon capsule arrived at the International Space Station on March 9, 2020 and was docked at 3:25 a.m. PDT while flying over 262 statute miles over the Pacific Northwest. The spacecraft was then installed on the Harmony module for the duration of its four-week stay at the orbiting laboratory.
Filled with approximately 4,500 pounds of supplies and payloads, Dragon launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket on March 6, 2020 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Dragon spacecraft that supported the CRS-20 mission previously supported the CRS-10 mission in February 2017 and the CRS-16 mission in December 2018. Dragon is the only spacecraft currently flying that’s capable of returning significant amounts of cargo to Earth.
SpaceX successfully targeted Monday, February 17 at 10:05 a.m. EST, or 15:05 UTC, for its fifth launch of Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. A backup launch opportunity was available for Tuesday, February 18 at 9:42 a.m. EST, or 14:42 UTC.
Falcon 9’s first stage previously launched the CRS-17 mission in May 2019, the CRS-18 mission in July 2019, and the JCSAT-18/Kacific1 mission in December 2019. Following stage separation, SpaceX will land Falcon 9’s first stage on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. Approximately 45 minutes after liftoff, SpaceX’s two fairing recoveryvessels, “Ms. Tree” and “Ms. Chief,” will attempt to recover the two fairing halves.
The Starlink satellites will deploy in an elliptical orbit approximately 15 minutes after liftoff. Prior to orbit raise, SpaceX engineers will conduct data reviews to ensure all Starlink satellites are operating as intended. Once the checkouts are complete, the satellites will then use their onboard ion thrusters to move into their intended orbits and operational altitude of 550 km.
PAYLOAD DESCRIPTION
SpaceX is leveraging its experience in building rockets and spacecraft to deploy the world’s most advanced broadband internet system. With performance that far surpasses that of traditional satellite internet and a global network unbounded by ground infrastructure limitations, Starlink will deliver high speed broadband internet to locations where access has been unreliable, expensive, or completely unavailable.
Each Starlink satellite weights approximately 260 kg and features a compact, flat-panel design that minimizes volume, allowing for a dense launch stack to take full advantage of Falcon 9’s launch capabilities. With four powerful phased array and two parabolic antennas on each satellite, an enormous amount of throughput can be placed and redirected in a short time, for an order of magnitude lower cost than traditional satellite-based internet.
Starlink satellites are on the leading edge of on-orbit debris mitigation, meeting or exceeding all regulatory and industry standards. At end of their life cycle, the satellites will utilize their on-board propulsion system to deorbit over the course of a few months. In the unlikely event their propulsion system becomes inoperable, the satellites will burn up in Earth’s atmosphere within 1-5 years, significantly less than the hundreds or thousands of years required at higher altitudes. Further, Starlink components are designed for full demisability.
Starlink is targeting service in the Northern U.S. and Canada in 2020, rapidly expanding to near global coverage of the populated world by 2021. Additional information on the system can be found at starlink.com.
Packed with about 3,800 pounds of cargo and science, SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft departed the International Space Station on Tuesday, January 7. A parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean occurred that morning just west of Baja California. A recovery team then secured Dragon on a boat for the return trip to the Port of Los Angeles, wrapping up SpaceX’s 19th resupply mission to the space station.
Filled with approximately 5,700 pounds of supplies and payloads, Dragon launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket on December 5, 2019 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida and arrived at the space station on December 8. The Dragon spacecraft supporting the CRS-19 mission previously supported the CRS-4 mission in September 2014 and the CRS-11 mission in June 2017. Dragon is the only spacecraft currently flying that is capable of returning significant amounts of cargo to Earth.
On Monday, January 6 at 9:19 p.m. EST, or 2:19 UTC on January 7, SpaceX launched its third launch of Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
Falcon 9’s first stage supported a Starlink mission in May 2019, the Iridium-8 mission in January 2019, and the Telstar 18 VANTAGE mission in September 2018. Following stage separation, SpaceX landed Falcon 9’s first stage on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. You can watch a replay of launch below and learn more about the mission in our press kit.
