SpaceX's Starshield satellites are reportedly transmitting signals on unauthorized frequencies

SpaceX's Starshield satellites are reportedly transmitting signals on unauthorized frequencies

SpaceX may be violating international telecommunication standards by allowing its Starshield satellites to transmit to Earth on frequencies it's not supposed to use, NPR reports . Starshield is a classified version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite network offered on contract to government agencies "to support national security efforts," according to the company's website . The report is based on findings from amateur satellite tracker Scott Tilley, who observed what appeared to be Starshield satellites broadcasting on frequencies normally dedicated to "uplink" transmissions from the Earth to satellites in orbit. Using the frequencies that way violates standards set by the International Telecommunication Union , a United Nations agency dedicated to coordinating the use of radio spectrum across the world. Standards around which frequencies are used for uplink and downlink broadcasts to satellites were created to avoid interference, among other technical issues. "Nearby satellites could receive radio-frequency interference and could perhaps not respond properly to commands — or ignore commands — from Earth," Tilley told NPR . It's not clear yet whether SpaceX ignoring these rules is causing any issues with satellite communication, but should problems arise, there's now a possible cause. SpaceX's first major Starshield project was a $70 million contract with US Space Force in 2023. More recently in 2024, there were reports that SpaceX's Starshield division had been tasked with building out a network of spy satellites to gather imagery of Earth for the Department of Defense’s National Reconnaissance Office. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/spacexs-starshield-satellites-are-reportedly-transmitting-signals-on-unauthorized-frequencies-212939991.html?src=rss

Dreamdata, which offers a B2B marketing analytics platform, raised a $55M Series B led by PeakSpan, bringing its total funding to $67M (Mary Ann Azevedo/Crunchbase News)

Dreamdata, which offers a B2B marketing analytics platform, raised a $55M Series B led by PeakSpan, bringing its total funding to $67M (Mary Ann Azevedo/Crunchbase News)

Mary Ann Azevedo / Crunchbase News : Dreamdata, which offers a B2B marketing analytics platform, raised a $55M Series B led by PeakSpan, bringing its total funding to $67M —  Dreamdata, a B2B marketing analytics platform, has secured a $55 million Series B round of funding, the company told Crunchbase News exclusively.

M5 MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Apple Vision Pro, on the AppleInsider Podcast

M5 MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Apple Vision Pro, on the AppleInsider Podcast

Apple has released three new devices with the M5 processor, but very few other changes. The new MacBook Pro , Apple Vision Pro, and iPad Pro are all better than their predecessors — and they are at the same price — but the question is whether or not they are worth upgrading to. Apple launches the new M5 MacBook Pro and more Back in September, Apple launched its iPhone 17 range and one of your hosts bought nothing while the other came pretty close to buying everything. Now it's the turn of the M5 devices and both hosts are suddenly out a lot of money. Some of the reasons are surprising, though, as while the new M5 devices are unquestionably better than their predecessors, there is the issue of just how much better they are. The short answer ought to be that if you have the previous latest model of the MacBook Pro, iPad Pro , or Apple Vision Pro , you shouldn't upgrade. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums