SpaceX to press ahead with Starlink tests, delays commercial service
In November, SpaceX got approval from Canadian authorities to start beta testing Starlink in the country, enabling a “fairly wide public beta” in southern Canada.
By Reuters | Posted by Kanishka Sarkar | Washington
PUBLISHED ON NOV 26, 2020 08:46 AM IST
SpaceX will continue beta testing its satellite-based broadband service Starlink into next year, the company said late Tuesday, indicating commercial service would not likely be offered in 2020 as previously planned.
Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX, Elon Musk’s private space exploration company, has launched nearly 900 Starlink satellites to orbit since 2019 with the goal of offering high-speed Internet to rural locations globally.
Musk has said the Starlink service will be a crucial source of funding for his broader plans, like developing the super heavy-lift Starship rocket to fly paying customers to the moon and eventually trying to colonize Mars.
“At our current pace, we expect to expand our beta in a notable way very early next year, in the late January - February timeframe,” SpaceX engineer Kate Tice said during a livestream on Tuesday, before launching the company’s 16th batch of Starlink satellites.
A SpaceX spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.
SpaceX in October invited hundreds of people in rural states like Washington, Wisconsin and Idaho to partake in its “Better Than Nothing Beta” trial, opening the door to those who signed up to buy and test the company’s $499 setup kit and pay $99 per-month for internet service.
In filings with the US Federal Communications Commission, the company had anticipated offering commercial service by the end of 2020, then “rapidly expand to near global coverage of the populated world in 2021.”
In November, SpaceX got approval from Canadian authorities to start beta testing Starlink in the country, enabling a “fairly wide public beta” in southern Canada.
Dramatic changes to radiotherapy treatments in England due to Covid-19
ANI
PUBLISHED ON JAN 23, 2021 10:18 AM IST
The new research, led by the University of Leeds, with Public Health England and the Royal College of Radiologists, reveals that there was a decrease in radiotherapy treatment courses of 19.9% in April, 6.2% in May, and 11.6% in June 2020, compared with the same months the previous year.
Indian-origin expert leads UK study on cancer survival chances
PTI
PUBLISHED ON JAN 22, 2021 06:06 PM IST
An Indian-origin expert at the University of Birmingham has led an international study which finds that patients’ chances of survival after cancer surgery is strongly linked with the standard of post-operative hospital care.
German scientists make paralyzed mice walk again
Reuters, Germany
PUBLISHED ON JAN 22, 2021 03:19 PM IST
German researchers have enabled mice paralyzed after spinal cord injuries to walk again, re-establishing a neural link hitherto considered irreparable in mammals by using a designer protein injected into the brain.
In her element: Talking to theoretical physicist Rohini M Godbole
PUBLISHED ON JAN 22, 2021 03:04 PM IST
Godbole, who recently received the Order of Merit from France, has dedicated her life to the pure sciences, and to bringing more women into the field. Why is that so crucial? Because what you study is partly defined by who you are, she says.
Study sheds light on role played by immune system's T-cells against coronavirus
PTI, Los Angeles
PUBLISHED ON JAN 22, 2021 02:45 PM IST
In particular, they said "memory" CD8 T cells are important for protecting the body from reinfection against many viruses.
Direct current stimulation over brain's Wernicke area can help learning words
ANI
PUBLISHED ON JAN 22, 2021 02:02 PM IST
A new study has found out that Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), which is a non-invasive way of stimulating the brain over the Wernicke's area, may lead to new assistive neurotechnologies for the rehabilitation of people with cognitive disorders in future.
New study explains how SARS-CoV-2 may seize human cells
ANI, Washington
PUBLISHED ON JAN 22, 2021 10:03 AM IST
The findings also highlight that the possibilities could potentially serve as targets for new therapies for patients with Covid-19, although validation in cells and animal models is needed.
Behind those dancing robots, scientists had to bust a move
AP
PUBLISHED ON JAN 21, 2021 11:46 PM IST
Behind those dancing robots, scientists had to bust a move
Study reveals how efficient brain circuitry develops spontaneously
ANI
PUBLISHED ON JAN 20, 2021 04:20 PM IST
A KAIST team's mathematical modelling has revealed that efficient brain circuitry develops spontaneously by showing that the topographic tiling of cortical maps originates from bottom-up projections from the periphery.
Researchers find how cancer can be killed by body's own immune system
ANI
PUBLISHED ON JAN 17, 2021 03:12 PM IST
In a previous study, scientists at the Cancer Research Center and the University of Missouri developed a genetically distinct and non-toxic strain of salmonella called CRC2631 to select and kill cancer cells.
NASA test of mega Moon rocket engines cut short
AFP
PUBLISHED ON JAN 17, 2021 12:54 PM IST
- Despite being cut short, NASA said the test of the RS-25 engines had provided valuable information for the planned missions.
NASA's Boeing moon rocket set for 'once-in-a-generation' ground test
Reuters, Washington
PUBLISHED ON JAN 16, 2021 07:33 PM IST
The expendable super heavy-lift SLS is three years behind schedule and nearly $3 billion over budget.
Scientists introduce new twist to learning periodic table
ANI
PUBLISHED ON JAN 16, 2021 05:09 PM IST
An innovative way to learn about the elements of the periodic table has been introduced through a study led by researchers of American Chemical Society (ACS).
Scientists identify nutrient that helps prevent bacterial infection
ANI
UPDATED ON JAN 16, 2021 04:10 PM IST
Scientists studying the body's natural defenses against bacterial infection have identified a nutrient, taurine that helps the gut recall prior infections and kill invading bacteria, such as Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kpn).
Artificial Intelligence to map human Intestinal Bacteria
ANI
UPDATED ON JAN 16, 2021 11:54 AM IST
The faculty of health and medical sciences from the University of Copenhagen have developed a ground-breaking technique that can assist to disentangle the secrets of the human intestinal microbes.