Solutions Get in touch
Solutions Get in touch

Category: SatCom

Watch Europe Dry up from Space in this Shocking Timelapse

Posted on by Oleksandr

Satellite images have revealed the shocking impact of droughts across Europe in July and August.

Huge areas of lush green land turned sandy brown as extreme weather conditions savaged the continent.

The European Union’s Copernicus Program captured the mosaic of images through their constellation of Earth-observing Sentinel satellites.

Josef Aschbacher, European Space Agency (ESA) Director General, noted that ESA’s Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellites measured “extreme” land surface temperatures exceeding 45°C in Britain, 50°C in France and 60°C in Spain.

“Today, we are very concerned about the energy crisis, and rightly so. But this crisis is very small compared to the impact of climate change, which is of a much bigger magnitude and really has to be tackled extremely fast,” he commented.

Alongside the timelapse, Copernicus EU tweeted, “In 2022, #drought has affected the whole of Europe.”

Reports have dubbed this drought Europe’s worst in 500 years. The extremely hot and dry conditions increased the risk of forest fires, while water levels in European rivers dropped so low that they were closed to traffic. Water levels dropped to such extremes in Spain that a previously submerged complex of Roman ruins became visible, along with a church submerged underwater by Spanish dictator General Franco. The Global Drought Observatory revealed that 47% of Europe was under drought and weather warnings in August.

Agriculture was hit particularly hard by these historic heatwaves and drought. Lack of precipitation led to widespread stress on crops, particularly across Italy, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain and Hungary.

The space sector – in particular the Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) sector – played a vital role in documenting this historic weather and raising awareness of its impact.

Climate monitoring and early warning rely heavily on the space industry. Space-related technologies and information allow us to assess specific areas’ exposure to climate change, adjusting adaptation and mitigation strategies accordingly. Alongside this, Earth observation allows us to predict and monitor natural disasters, as well as gain accurate weather forecasts.

As the climate crisis rages on, the space sector will be instrumental in our shared mission to protect global communities and minimise the impact of climate change.

SpaceX and T-Mobile Partner to Boost Signal from Space

Posted on by Oleksandr

SpaceX Chief Engineer Elon Musk and T-Mobile CEO and President Mike Sievert have announced ‘Coverage Above and Beyond: a game-changing new plan to bring cell phone connectivity everywhere’.

The team are working to provide some degree of cellular service “practically everywhere in the continental U.S., Hawaii, parts of Alaska, Puerto Rico and territorial waters”, according to Musk and Sievert.

“The important thing about this is that it means there are no dead zones anywhere in the world for your cell phone,” said Elon Musk. “We’re incredibly excited to do this with T-Mobile.”

Despite powerful 5G and Long-Term Evolution (LTE) wireless networks, over 500,000 square miles of the US, as well as large stretches of ocean, receive absolutely no signal from any provider. Multiple wireless coverage providers have struggled to find a solution for these dead zones. However, terrain limits like deserts and mountains across the US as well as land-use restrictions such as national parks make this an incredibly difficult task.

To remedy the problem, the two companies are building a new network that will broadcast nationwide from Starlink’s satellites using T-Mobile’s mid-band spectrum. This satellite-to-cellular service will offer near to complete coverage practically anywhere users can see the sky.

“It’s going to massively improve people’s convenience and it’s going to save lives,” commented Elon Musk.

Using this technology, the pair plan to bring text coverage to customers across all corners of the continental US, Hawaii, parts of Alaska, Puerto Rico and territorial waters. Following more satellite launches from SpaceX over the next year, coverage will be brought to even more areas outside of T-Mobile’s coverage/signal network.

“We’ve always thought differently about what it means to keep customers connected, and that’s why we’re working with the best to deliver coverage above and beyond anything customers have ever seen before,” commented Mike Sievert. “More than just a groundbreaking alliance, this represents two industry-shaking innovators challenging the old ways of doing things to create something entirely new that will further connect customers and scare competitors.”

This project will rely on Starlink’s next-generation satellites, planned to launch on SpaceX’s Starship rocket. These satellites will have large antennae to directly provide connectivity to phones on the T-Mobile network. Users won’t need to make any additional purchases to access this new service. Conveniently, the majority of smartphones on T-Mobile’s network will already be compatible with the network.

“We are constructing special antenna. They are actually very big antenna that are extremely advanced,” said Musk. “The important thing is you will not need to get a new phone. The phone you currently have will work.”

With other exciting companies like Aquarian Space working to develop communication networks for interplanetary exploration – including high speed internet on the moon – this marks the beginning of a very exciting time for the space sector. With capabilities like these, we’ll be connected like never before with people in the most remote corners of the world, and maybe one day the universe.

These two industry giants are paving the way for global connectivity with a shared vision to empower the world. Could SpaceX and T-Mobile’s partnership signal the end of cellular dead zones?

Elon Musk’s Starlink Hacked With $25 Device

Posted on by Oleksandr

AT THE BLACK HAT SECURITY CONFERENCE IN LAS VEGAS, BELGIAN CYBER-SECURITY RESEARCHER LENNERT WOUTERS REVEALED VARIOUS HARDWARE VULNERABILITIES THAT LEFT STARLINK’S SATELLITES EXPOSED TO HACKERS. USING A HOMEMADE MODCHIP THAT COST $25 TO DEVELOP, HE WAS ABLE TO GAIN FREE ACCESS TO STARLINK’S SYSTEM AND RUN CUSTOM CODE ON THE NETWORK’S DEVICES.

Wouters has also previously hacked Tesla, another of Elon Musk’s companies, by producing hardware that can unlock one of their electric vehicles in just 90 seconds.

In a presentation titled “Glitched on Earth by Humans”, Wouters demonstrated the attack on a Starlink User Terminal (UT) that allowed him to break into the dish and explore the Starlink network. Using a voltage fault injection attack, he was able to bypass SpaceX security protections.

“Our voltage fault injection attack was first performed in a laboratory setting and later implemented as a custom printed circuit board or ‘modchip’. The presented attack results in an unfixable compromise of the Starlink UT and allows us to execute arbitrary code,” Wouters commented. “The ability to obtain root access on the Starlink UT is a prerequisite to freely explore the Starlink network.”

Starlink operates through satellite dishes or UTs located in people’s homes and businesses. Wouters’ successful breach has exposed the system’s vulnerability.

In a press release, Wouters commented, “The widespread availability of Starlink User Terminals (UT) exposes them to hardware hackers and opens the door for an attacker to freely explore the network.”

Following the hack, Wouters has made his homemade tool available on GitHub, complete with instructions on how to execute the attack.

SpaceX have dubbed Wouters a “badass engineer” and are now offering up to $25,000 to researchers who can find bugs in the network through their bug bounty programme. Their website already provides a list of 32 researchers who have found significant flaws in Starlink’s system. Elon Musk commented that the company actually encourages this type of hacking, as long as it’s done non-disruptively. SpaceX even praised Wouters’ work in a six-page paper called ‘Starlink invites security researchers (bring on the bugs)’.

Following the presentation, SpaceX’s information security manager Christopher Stanley tweeted, “#BringOnTheBugs – We love working closely with security researchers! Special shout-out to @LennertWo for an amazing presentation! We are hiring! If you are a badass engineer and love space, please check out spacex.com/careers”.

It seems SpaceX have given people the chance to hack into the space sector, quite literally. To anyone thinking a career in space is out of reach – we hope this story inspires you to think otherwise. Aspiring hackers can breach multi-billion-dollar space giants from the comfort of their bedrooms. These individuals are forcing these companies to take notice of them and learn from their expertise.

The space industry is rapidly expanding and constantly providing new areas to enter into. There’s more than one way to get into the space sector, and they’re not as conventional as you might think.

‍

‍

SpaceX Starlink Satellites Threatened by Russian Space Junk

Posted on by Oleksandr

SPACEX RECENTLY REPORTED THAT RUSSIAN SPACE DEBRIS WAS ON A COLLISION COURSE WITH SPACEX STARLINK SATELLITES. RESEARCHERS DOCUMENTED OVER 6,000 NEAR-MISSES.

The debris was created in 2021 when Russia used an anti-satellite weapon (ASAT) to destroy the defunct 2,000kg Cosmos 1408 satellite, launched in the Soviet era. The explosion created around 1,500 pieces of space debris, now orbiting between 300 and 1,100 km above Earth. According to the US Space Command, this debris “will likely generate hundreds of thousands of pieces of smaller orbital debris over time.”

The near collisions were discussed at the Small Satellite Conference in Utah last week. Dan Oltrogge, chief scientist at COMSPOC, reported that debris from the destruction of Cosmos 1408 is causing an increase in close approaches, or “conjunction squalls.” COMSPOC tracked over 6,000 squalls within 10km of Starlink satellites, threatening 841 of their 2,748 satellites in low-Earth orbit.

Russia made headlines again earlier this year when from the same debris “endangered” the International Space Station (ISS), resulting in an avoidance manoeuvre. The ISS crew had to take cover in their escape capsule as the debris cloud passed.

It must be noted that SpaceX’s hands aren’t exactly clean when it comes to space debris. Earlier this month, a sheepherder in rural Australia discovered a large piece of space debris from SpaceX’s Crew-1 Dragon spacecraft. The debris was said to be from the spacecraft’s trunk, which transports the spacecraft’s solar panels and allows unpressurized cargo to be transported to the ISS.

Space debris, also known as ‘space junk’, is a growing problem in the space sector. As of April 2022, the European Space Agency reported over 30,000 pieces of debris with a mass of over 9,000 metric tons. Debris collisions have already caused significant damage to important satellites, and with more launches taking place than ever before, the probability of collisions is increasing. The probability of any satellite in low Earth orbit colliding with a piece of debris over 1cm is now 50% in a year.

With close calls like this becoming a more regular occurrence, it’s clear that something needs to be done about the space junk problem. Experts are currently developing innovate methods to clean up space with exciting projects like Astroscale’s ELSA-d, a spacecraft that uses a magnetic capture system to capture debris, already reporting successful tests.

As the threat posed by space debris becomes greater, the sector looks to these companies for a solution before it reaches breaking point.

‍

EVONA Joins the SmallSat Alliance

Posted on by Oleksandr

WE’RE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT EVONA IS THE LATEST MEMBER OF THE SMALLSAT ALLIANCE.

Advocating for increased use of SmallSat technologies, the Alliance unites crucial names across the next generation space economy.

‘SmallSat’ refers to satellites with a small mass, typically the size of a large kitchen fridge. Keep in mind that the International Space Station has a mass of 420,000kg – in comparison, these new technologies are miniscule.

While space infrastructure may seem to be getting larger and more complex, these technologies are blowing the sector wide open. They provide increased opportunities for space exploration, all the while reducing costs.

Small satellites allow us to:

• Make space more accessible

• Reduce the cost of new space missions

• Reduce manufacturing costs

• Enable mass production

• Combine low launch costs with high performance

• Propel industry innovation

• Form large, powerful satellite constellations

• Provide exciting new opportunities for the global workforce and economy

‍The Small Sat Alliance’s mission is to unify companies developing, producing and operating across all segments of this exciting sector. Through networking, events and conferences, Alliance members are connected with customers, partners and suppliers. Already making individual waves across the sector, these vital institutions are empowered to build connections to drive this ever-evolving industry.

We’re delighted to be collaborating with these like-minded organisations. EVONA will play an integral role in building and facilitating a network of support to drive the small satellite industry. We will continue to service and connect across the sector as we advance the next generation of satellite technology.‍

“The space sector is seeing unprecedented growth and EVONA have a pivotal role to play in delivering on sector objectives. We know the challenge facing space companies as they scale and are delighted to join the SmallSat Alliance who have always been magnet for the most innovative and successful satellite makers, operators, component suppliers, launch and data analytics providers.” Jack Madley, Co-Founder.

In this exciting move, we’re looking forward to aligning our ethos with the SmallSat Alliance’s as we shape the space sector through inspiration and collaboration.

EVONA JOINS THE SATELLITE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION

Posted on by Oleksandr
We’re delighted to announce that EVONA is the newest affiliate member of The Satellite Industry Association (SIA).Our mission has always been to further the progress of today’s space industry by preparing and sourcing talented members of the space workforce, identifying transferrable skills from outside the sector and championing STEM careers to future generations. Tom Stroup, president of the Satellite Industry Association said:‍

“On behalf of SIA, I am pleased to announce that global space recruitment company EVONA is the newest affiliate member of the Association,”

‍

“The commercial satellite industry continues to grow at an unprecedented rate. In order to sustain that growth, it is imperative that the industry continues to recruit the highly specialized human resources needed to staff the growing numbers of companies entering the commercial space industry. EVONA’s specialized space industry recruitment expertise makes them an ideal member of the Association and we are pleased to welcome them to SIA.”

“The space sector is seeing unprecedented growth and EVONA have a clear role in delivering on workforce objectives. We know the challenge facing space companies as they scale and are delighted to join the SIA who have always been an important voice of advocacy for the satellite industry.” said Richard Joyce, Co-founder of EVONA

Affiliate membership in SIA is open to satellite companies as well as supporting entities that advocate and promote the domestic commercial satellite industry. SIA Affiliate Members receive a number of benefits including attendance at SIA’s Annual Association Meeting, participation in all open SIA meetings and most events (excluding the SIA Leadership Dinner) and SIA Member discounts to industry events.

‍For further details regarding membership in SIA, please see the following link:https://sia.org/membership/membership-applications/.