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Globalstar soars on Apple’s $1.5 billion satellite investment

https://spacenews.com/globalstar-soars-on-apples-1-5-billion-satellite-investment/

Excerpt:

Satellite operator Globalstar stock closed up more than 30% Nov. 1 after disclosing Apple’s plans to invest $1.5 billion in a new constellation to improve space-based communications for iPhones.

Apple would take a 20% equity stake in the constellation for $400 million, if the deal closes as expected Nov. 5, and make $1.1 billion in staggered cash prepayments to the operator to help fund the network.

Globalstar would use about $232 million of this cash to reduce its debt burden.

Apple has been using Globalstar’s current network of 31 L-band satellites since 2022 to enable its latest iPhones to access emergency services when terrestrial networks are unavailable.

While this space-enabled capability now also includes basic texting, the low Earth orbit (LEO) network does not provide more bandwidth-hungry services such as voice and broadband.

After Apple agreed to cover most of the costs to replenish the constellation in 2022, Globalstar awarded Canada’s MDA a $327 million contract to build 17 satellites, with options for up to nine additional satellites at $11.4 million each.

SpaceX is slated to begin launching those satellites next year.

However, Globalstar has declined to comment on what upgrades could be coming to iPhones that can access its refreshed constellation.

A Nov. 1 regulatory filing about Apple’s latest investment also does not include details about what Globalstar is calling an “Extended MSS [Mobile Satellite Services] Network.”

Globalstar and Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

Tiny Gold “Frying Pans” Kill Bacteria on Implants, Reducing Antibiotic Need

https://scitechdaily.com/tiny-gold-frying-pans-kill-bacteria-on-implants-reducing-antibiotic-need/

Excerpt:

Gold nanorods heated by NIR light create antibacterial surfaces on implants, reducing infection risks during surgeries and potentially decreasing antibiotic resistance.
A new technology developed at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden may play a crucial role in combating antibiotic resistance, especially in surgical procedures like hip and knee implant insertions. The technique involves heating tiny gold nanorods with near-infrared (NIR) light to sterilize the implant surface by killing bacteria. Researchers have recently published a study that deepens the understanding of how these gold rods respond to light and how to accurately measure their temperature.

Infections can occur during surgical procedures, with the risk increasing significantly when foreign materials, such as knee prostheses, are implanted into the body. The presence of the material weakens the body’s immune system and antibiotic treatments are commonly used. If infected, high doses of antibiotics are often required with long treatment times, sometimes lifelong......

Heat kills the bacteria on the implant surface

The technology developed by the researchers at Chalmers is a method in which nanometre-sized rods of gold are attached to the implant surface. When near-infrared (NIR) light hits the surface of the implant, the rods heat up and act as tiny heating elements. Because the heating elements are so small, there is a very local heating, which kills any bacteria on the surface of the implant without heating the surrounding tissue.

“The gold rods absorb the light, the electrons in the gold are set in motion, and finally the nanorods emit heat. You could say that the gold nanorods work like small frying pans that fry the bacteria to death,”......

.....“The trick is to tailor the size of the rods. If you make them a little smaller or a little bigger, they absorb light of the wrong wavelengths. We want the light that is absorbed to penetrate skin and tissue well. Because once the implant is inside the body, the light must be able to reach the surface of the prosthesis,” says Martin Andersson, Professor and research leader at Chalmers.

.....” The temperature must not exceed 120 degrees Celsius, as higher temperatures cause the nanorods to lose their shape and transform into spheres. As a result, they lose their optical properties and can no longer absorb NIR light effectively, which prevents the rods from heating up” says Maja Uusitalo.

She points out that the heating is very local with low energy transfer to the surroundings. This is crucial to avoid causing any damage to the surrounding tissue.

The researchers hope that the method can be used on many different implant materials, such as titanium or different plastics.

.....“We can control when the surface should be antibacterial and when it should not. When we turn off the light, the surface is no longer antibacterial and reverts to its original state. This is an advantage because many antibacterial surfaces usually have negative effects on healing,” says Martin Andersson.

The goal is to eventually bring this technology into healthcare.

.....All bacteria die from the heat from the gold nanorods, but even ordinary cells can be damaged during treatment.

“If a few human cells are destroyed during the NIR heating process the body quickly regenerates new ones, so the impact on healing is minimal,” says Martin Andersson.