China begins building new mega-constellations. The first batch of internet satellites of China’s King mega-constellation was launched on Monday on the country’s Long March 5B heavy-lift rocket, Ars reported. The satellite is the first of up to 13,000 spacecraft that a consortium of Chinese companies plans to build and launch over the next 10 years. The Royal Fleet will transmit low-latency, high-speed Internet signals using an architecture similar to SpaceX’s Starlink network, but Chinese authorities have not disclosed details such as target markets, service specifications, and user terminals.
No falling objects this time… China used its most powerful operational rocket, the Long March 5B, to launch its first 10 royal satellites this week. Long March 5B’s large core stage, which entered orbit on the rocket’s previous missions and raised concerns about falling space debris, fell from the launch site to a predetermined location at sea below. What made this mission different was the addition of the Yuanzheng-2 upper stage, which gave the rocket’s payload the extra power it needed to reach its target low-Earth orbit. (Submitted by Ken the Bin and EllPeaTea)
Elon Musk’s security clearance under review. new research From the New York Times SpaceX founder Elon Musk has indicated that he is not reporting his travel activities and other information to the Department of Defense, as required by his top-secret clearance, Ars reported. Concerns about Musk’s reporting practices led to a review by three different agencies within the military: the Air Force, the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, and the Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General, the newspaper said. However, none of the federal agencies cited in the Times article have accused Musk of disclosing classified material.
It won’t matter… The newspaper said Musk has not self-reported details of his life since 2021, including his travel activities, people he has met and drug use. The government is also concerned that SpaceX did not ensure Musk complied with reporting rules. Musk’s focus on national security has increased after he fully supported Donald Trump, who won the US presidential election in November and will be inaugurated next month, with his deep financial resources. After this inauguration, Trump will have the power to grant security clearance to anyone he wishes.
