"...fees and license"
Posted on 03/30/2018 6:23:15 PM PDT by BenLurkin
9 minutes into an otherwise routine Falcon 9 launch of 10 Iridium Next communications satellites from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base, SpaceX cut the feed. The video blackout was intentional because of "restrictions" from a U.S. government agency known for its own live views of Earth from space.
Those restrictions, Space.com has learned, apparently hinge on a recent NOAA assertion that the cameras on SpaceX's Falcon 9 second stage can qualify as a "remote sensing space system," which would require a provisional license from the U.S. agency if SpaceX wanted to show the live video and still launch on time.
...
NOAA officials said it's all about cameras.
"The National and Commercial Space Program Act requires a commercial remote sensing license for companies having the capacity to take an image of Earth while on orbit," NOAA officials wrote in the statement "Now that launch companies are putting video cameras on stage 2 rockets that reach an on-orbit status, all such launches will be held to the requirements of the law and its conditions."
That means SpaceX had to apply for a license to livestream the video from its Falcon 9 second stage, which the company did. Though apparently, NOAA's approval came with some strings attached for at least this mission.
"SpaceX applied and received a license from NOAA that included conditions on their capability to live-stream from space," NOAA officials explained. "Conditions on Earth imaging to protect national security are common to all licenses for launches with on-orbit capabilities."
SpaceX does not expect to have a similar issue with its next launch on Monday (April 2), when it will launch a used Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon cargo ship (also previously flown) to deliver NASA cargo to the International Space Station.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
Of possible interest to your ping list
You have to have a license to take a picture of earth from space!?
"...fees and license"
Where’s the Kaboom?
Eyep
Don’t want the sheeple to get scared seeing the humongous alien mother ship.
NASA needs to return to being run by captured Nazi German Rocket Scientists.
“The National and Commercial Space Program Act requires a commercial remote sensing license for companies having the capacity to take an image of Earth while on orbit,” NOAA officials wrote in the statement...
Eff NOAA.
“”Conditions on Earth imaging to protect national security are common to all licenses for launches with on-orbit capabilities.””
No, we don’t live in a police state. You just need a license from the US government to take a photo of earth from 100,000 miles away.
Thanks BenLurkin. Ping to APoD list
APoD update -- I've actually been unable to load images off the taxpayer-supported APoD website for a while now, due to the age of the hardware and software I normally use. This happened at some point during my year of FR suspension, but I wasn't immediately aware of it because I wasn't at first planning to resume doing the old ping lists.
It is discussed in the full article.
No. That was taken on a green screen stage in Hoyyweird.
“One theory put forth by Peter B. de Selding, editor of SpaceIntelReport, is that this may be some kind of push back from NOAA because SpaceX did not have a proper license for the cameras on the Falcon Heavy’s Starman launch, which showed a mannequin in a red Tesla in Earth orbit for several hours. At the same time, in recent weeks, both President Trump and the Commerce Department Secretary Wilbur Ross have praised SpaceX for that launch and the views from Starman, so it’s difficult to see this as some kind of top-down punishment for the company.”—Eric Berger
What did you do to warrant a suspension?
See post #15. Apparently that’s what sparked the crackdown.
Thanks for asking.
He probably upset the flat earthers this site actively protects. They remove posts if it grates on the flatties too much.
That’s the exact theory I espoused on reddit. Selding probably ripped it off from my post.
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