satellites | Fast Company

Google Earth, Foreign Wars, And The Future Of Satellite Imagery

BY Neal UngerleiderTue Nov 29, 2011

DigitalGlobe, the firm that provides much of the imagery for Google Earth, is launching a next-generation satellite in 2014. However, the super-sharp images of the WorldView-3 aren't for Google and Bing Maps: They're going straight to the military and intelligence agencies.READ»

ARCHITECTURE OF FEAR

Secret Satellites And Spy Stations: The Hidden Architecture Of Fear

BY Suzanne LaBarreTue Nov 8, 2011

Architecture of Fear is the title and subject of an intriguing new exhibit at Z33, a contemporary art space in Hasselt, Belgium--fear now being something we’ve politicized and commodified and generally made into a global way of ... READ»

INNOVATION | Comment

The Syrian War Crowdsourcing Experiment

BY Neal UngerleiderWed Sep 21, 2011

Amnesty International USA and the Standby Task Force have launched an ambitious campaign to crowdsource analysis of Syrian satellite imagery for military movements, demonstrations, and checkpoints. So far, volunteers have tagged more than 2,000 potential troublespots. Is DIY intelligence analysis the future of human rights work?READ»

ROCKETS | Comment

The Skylon: Britain's Bad-Ass Rocketplane And Possible Shuttle Successor

BY Kit EatonThu May 26, 2011

As NASA settles for a tried and trusted solution, Britain's plans for a next-gen Space Shuttle inch forward with the Skylon: A black, future-tech spaceplane that absolutely looks the part.READ»

TECHNOLOGY | Comment

DARPA's Wonderfully Lowish-Tech Solution To Space Debris: Looking For It

BY Kit EatonMon Apr 25, 2011

Among the various complex, clever, futuristic solutions to solving the space-junk problem, DARPA's just unveiled a new tool to help with the job that's wonderfully simple. It's a telescope, to look for the stuff.READ»

SPACE JUNK | Comment

Heavy Metal Dust Could End Our Space Junk Odyssey

BY Kit EatonThu Apr 14, 2011

We have a space junk problem. Fragments from very small (a millimeter) to much bigger (several meters) are whirling around overhead at fantastic speeds, threatening satellites and astronauts. Adding more could actually help.READ»

INNOVATION | Comment

Turning Satellite Images Into Disaster-Relief Efforts

BY David ZaxMon Mar 28, 2011

Several academic institutions are teaming up in an effort organized by the U.S. Geological Survey to help turn satellite imagery into actionable data in Japan.READ»

TECHNOLOGY | Comment

Ahoy, Matey! South Africa Launches Pirate Satellite Network

BY Jenara NerenbergThu Mar 10, 2011

Pirates, pollution, and shipwrecks will all be monitored under the new Long Range Identification and Tracking system.READ»

ASIA IN OUTER SPACE | Comment

Japan Gives Vietnam a Major Space Exploration Boost

BY Jenara NerenbergFri Jan 7, 2011

Japan's $480 million investment in Vietnam's fledgling space industry will improve Japan's galactic public image and give Vietnam its own set of eyes in outer space.READ»

SATELLITES FOR GOOD | Comment

Satellites for Good: The NGO's Ultimate Tool

BY Jenara NerenbergWed Dec 29, 2010

Satellites for human rights monitoring predates Google and George Clooney--but they are paving the way for what one UN expert calls "the only purely objective assessment of what has happened on the ground."READ»

SUDAN REFERENDUM | Comment

Google and George Clooney Aim Satellites at Sudan, Become "Anti-Genocide Paparazzi"

BY Jenara NerenbergWed Dec 29, 2010

Ahead of an early January referendum, the two partners, along with Harvard and the United Nations, want Sudanese rebels to know that they are being watched.READ»

SPACE | Comment

NASA Launches Solar Sail Satellite, Hints at Future for Space Debris

BY Kit EatonTue Dec 7, 2010

NASA just successfully launched a solar-sail satellite from another experimental micro-satellite. It will demonstrate how it can take itself out of the space debris equation--by burning itself up.READ»

GLOBAL INTERNET | Comment

Google's Web for the Poor Satellite Gets Billions in Funding

BY Kit EatonMon Nov 29, 2010

Google backs some projects that may may make you blink, they're so odd--one of them is nevertheless so promising it's earned $1.18 billion in funding: It's a satellite network to bring Internet to the world's poor.READ»

BLACK FRIDAY | Comment

Black Friday: An Alien's-Eye View

BY David ZaxWed Nov 24, 2010

The economy looks set to get back on track this shopping season. That's according to satellite pictures of parking lots in the run-up to the busiest day of the year.READ»

SPACE WEATHER | Comment

Real-Time Space Weather Forecasting Now Possible, Innovation Front Sweeping in From the Far North

BY Kit EatonWed Aug 18, 2010

Space weather affects your life more than you may think, and now some new science experiments, leveraging Iridium's array of satellite phone spacecraft, may let scientists measure it in real time to better understand the phenomenon.READ»

OCEAN LIFE | Comment

Dead Zone Deconfusinator: Oil Not the Only Problem in Gulf of Mexico, NASA Study Shows

BY Kit EatonMon Jul 26, 2010

NASA's revealed a study detailing the location and extent of the world's oceanic dead zones--regions where oxygen depletion stifles life. It looks like they're growing. First up: What is a dead zone (apart from a creepy movie starring ...READ»

CHINESE MAPS | Comment

China Set to Grant Nokia Digital Mapping Rights, Google Nowhere in Sight

BY Kit EatonThu Jul 15, 2010

Nokia's is on track to get an official license to offer online digital map services in China, according to some reports. It would become the first foreign company to win the right. Will this give Ovi maps a new lease on life? It just ...READ»

SPACE DEBRIS | Comment

U.S. Air Force Takes on Dangerous Space Trash With Surveillance Satellites

BY Kit EatonTue Jul 6, 2010

There's a lot of space debris up there--and we're not talking moon dust: Smashed rocket fragments, dropped tools, flakes of paint even all orbit the planet at dangerous supersonic speeds. There's so much of this detritus, in fact, the ...READ»

SPACEX | Comment

SpaceX Lands $490 Million Satellite Launching Contract

BY Kit EatonWed Jun 16, 2010

It seems the commercial space industry in the U.S. is suddenly ablaze with activity. SpaceX has just announced a $492 million deal with Iridium to launch numerous satellites into orbit, and it's all thanks to the Falcon 9 rocket ...READ»

ROCKETS | Comment

A Tale of Two Rockets: Korean Explosions, SpaceX Success

BY Kit EatonThu Jun 10, 2010

South Korea fails, while an American startup cruises along.READ»