Out of This World: The Latest from Space

EE Times Current · 3 Dec 2021 · 25m

What this episode covers

EE Times editor-in-chief Brian Santo speaks with veteran aerospace editor George Leopold about two major upcoming space launches: the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) and the James Webb Space Telescope. Leopold explains that LCRD aims to establish high-bandwidth laser communications from geosynchronous orbit to ground stations in California and Hawaii, addressing the spectrum congestion caused by satellite constellations like SpaceX's Starlink. The conversation also covers the dangers of space debris following a Russian anti-satellite test, which forced International Space Station crew members into emergency vehicles, and the high-risk deployment of the James Webb Space Telescope, which faces multiple points of failure in its complex unfolding sequence.

Mentioned

Companies
SpaceX, Northrop Grumman, Microsoft, Amazon, Google
Products
James Webb Space Telescope, Laser Communications Relay Demonstration, Starlink, Hubble, JWCC, JEDI

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