Chikyū Earth Orbital Foundation
Chikyū Earth Orbital Foundation
Dedicated to mare liberum
in Low and Medium Earth Orbit
What's Happening
NEO and MEO Events of Interest
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November 18-24, 2024
Reston, Virginia
CyberSat has been at the forefront of the satellite industry’s burgeoning cybersecurity landscape since the event’s launch in 2017, successfully uniting satellite, space, and cybersecurity experts with government officials for insight into, and action against, the latest threats in both Classified and Unclassified programs.
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In response to the exponential growth in the collection, transmission and consumption of space data, along with the mainstream adoption of AI/ML, we are expanding CyberSat 2024 to feature two concurrent tracks – one track continuing CyberSat’s legacy of addressing Space Infrastructure, and a new technical track focusing on Space Data & Technology. Conference keynotes and general sessions will address all attendees.
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Xona scales up LEO navigation constellation plans in Canada
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TAMPA, Fla. — California-based Xona Space Systems is expanding to Canada ahead of deploying the first in a proposed constellation of small navigation satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) next year.
The five-year-old venture said Sept. 27 it has opened its first international office in Montréal, Québec, as it prepares to deploy a commercial positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) service as an alternative or backup to the GPS.
“As we move towards deployment of the constellation we are quickly headed towards a stage of the company where we will need to significantly scale up our manufacturing and customer service staff,” Xona co-founder and CEO Brian Manning said, “and have determined that keeping this 100% in Silicon Valley is not the most efficient path for us.”
He said the Montréal office is primarily focused on developing user equipment for its Pulsar PNT service, which would also require existing GPS devices to undergo firmware updates to ensure compatibility.
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https://spacenews.com/xona-scales-up-leo-navigation-constellation-plans-in-canada/
The satellite spectrum battle that could shape the new space economy
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is pushing to loosen power limits on transmissions in low Earth orbit, a move that some fear could give upstart US operators more power
By Peggy Hollinger and Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu in London for the Financial Times, September 27, 2024
​In early August, when corporate activity was in a summer lull, Elon Musk’s SpaceX quietly opened up a new front in a global battle over a scarce and precious resource: radio spectrum.
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Its target was an obscure international regulation governing the way spectrum, the invisible highway of electromagnetic waves that enables all wireless technology, is shared by satellite operators in different orbits. And the chosen weapon was the US regulator, the Federal Communications Commission.
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On August 9, SpaceX petitioned the FCC to loosen globally agreed power limits on transmissions from operators like itself in low Earth orbit, the region of space up to 2,000km above the planet’s surface set to be a pivotal arena in the future of communication, transportation and defence.
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The so-called equivalent power flux density rules were set more than 20 years ago to ensure signals from low Earth orbit did not interfere with those from systems in higher geostationary, or fixed, orbit.
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SpaceX, which owns the world’s fastest-growing satellite broadband network, Starlink, told the regulator that these “antiquated power restrictions” were unfit for “the modern space age”. It went on to charge that the international process governing the rules had been hijacked by an alliance between the operators of older, geostationary systems and “America’s staunchest adversaries”.
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At stake was “US global competitiveness in the new space economy” and the future of satellite communication, it said.
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See full article at https://www.ft.com/content/ac7702c8-238f-4656-bd26-a2ba445af971?
A Bit About Us
Our mission at Chikyū Earth Orbital Foundation is to connect academic, industrial, and military interests in the U.S., Japan, Australia, and the U.K. in support of keeping the tradition of "freedom of the seas" applicable to low earth orbit (LEO) and middle earth orbit (MEO). We believe the orbital resources of these countries and companies will be the foundation for keeping space a domain where all can operate.​ We support educational programs to increase knowledge in the general public and among future policymakers of LEO, MEO, and related issues. We also support sensible regulation of the space environment to empower human activity in space.
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For more information, see our About section.
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For more on our policy positions, scroll below.
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LEO Background Information
From the Bipartisan Policy Center, this general backgrounder on LEO satellites is a good starting spot.
Low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites have received considerable attention, with many launching into orbit and more expected to launch in the coming years. The public policy issues, such as spectrum and orbital space allocation, international coordination, and government funding, will depend heavily on policymaker knowledge and expertise. However, most policymakers are relatively new to LEO satellites as they work to design the public policy around them. In this video, we will focus on the basics of LEO satellites to help policymakers and others better understand this technology.
