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Category Archives: Spacex

The 1,000 Chinese SpaceX engineers who never existed – MIT Technology Review

Posted: September 11, 2022 at 1:31 pm

They all graduated from Tsinghua and went on to the University of Southern California or similar well-known universities, Li says. Besides that, they all worked at a certain company in Shanghai. Obviously, I suspect these are fake, generated data.

(SpaceX did not reply to a request from MIT Technology Review to confirm the number of Tsinghua graduates working at the company.)

This wasnt the first time Li had noticed what he thought were fake LinkedIn accounts. Starting in late 2021, he says, he started seeing profiles with less than a few dozen connectionsrare for real LinkedIn usersand with profile photos that were always good-looking men and women, likely stolen from other websites. Most appeared to be of Chinese ethnicity and to live in the United States or Canada.

Around the same time, the phenomenon caught the attention of Grace Yuen, the spokesperson for the Global Anti-Scam Org (GASO), a volunteer group that tracks pig-butchering scams. Scammers involved in this practice, which started as early as 2017 in China, create fake profiles on social media sites or dating sites, connect with victims, build virtual and often romantic relationships, and eventually persuade the victims to transfer over their assets. The scammers themselves came up with the name pig butchering, comparing the intensive and long-term process of gaining victims trust to raising a pig for slaughter.

In recent years, as China has cracked down on fraudulent online activities, these operations have pivoted to targeting people outside China who are of Chinese descent or speak Mandarin. GASO was established in July 2021 by one such victim, and the organization now has nearly 70 volunteers on several continents.

While these fake accounts are relatively new to LinkedIn, they have permeated other platforms for a long time. Scammers started moving to LinkedIn maybe after dating sites tried to crack down on them, [like] Coffee Meets Bagel, Tinder, Yuen says.

In certain ways, LinkedIn is a great way for fraudsters to expand their reach. You might be already married and you are not on the dating sites, but you probably have a LinkedIn account that you check occasionally, says Yuen.

A scammer on LinkedIn may try to connect with someone through common work experience, a shared hometown, or the feeling of living in a foreign country. Over 60% of the victims who have reached out to GASO are Chinese immigrants or have Chinese ancestry, which these actors lean on to evoke nostalgia or a desire for companionship. The fake claims to have graduated from Chinas top universities, which are notoriously difficult to get into, also help scammers earn respect.

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This "Can Crusher" Might Be the Weirdest SpaceX Flex We’ve Ever Seen – Futurism

Posted: at 1:31 pm

OK, this is pretty badass. Crushed

For a company whose whole job is badass rocketry, SpaceX sure does flex as new footage of one of its ground-based monstrosities, known as the "Can Crusher," demonstrates yet again.

In a video posted to Twitter, NASASpaceFlight managing editor Chris Bergin showed SpaceX's "Can Crusher" testing apparatus, a brutally colossal gadget designed to test rockets by squeezing them with incredible force.

The Can Crusher in this video was seen rolling down the Boca Chica, TX base as it heads to test components for Starship B7.1, which SpaceX is currently working on assembling.

Bergin's video is the latest glimpse we've gotten of this arachnid-esque Can Crusher, but it's not the first time we've seen it either at SpaceX or elsewhere.

As the name suggests, the spaceflight industry's can crushers are giant compactors that, in essence, do the same thing that aluminum can compactors do to empty soda cans except these operate on a much larger, and much more dangerous, level.

"Place a soda can on the floor in an upright position and then stand on it -- gradually applying weight -- until the can ripples and collapses," a NASA post from 2011, when the agency undertook the world's largest can crusher test at the time, reads. "It's similar to what a team of NASA engineers will do to an immense aluminum-lithium rocket fuel tank in late March; their hope is to use data from the test to generate new 'shell-buckling design factors' that will enable light-weight, safe and sturdy 'skins' for future launch vehicles."

In essence, can crushers like those used by NASA and SpaceX are meant to simulate the force of takeoff and test to make sure rocket components are ready for the stress of the entire ordeal.

While NASA's original can crushers look a lot like their smaller, consumer-grade counterparts, the one employed by SpaceX is as next-generation as the company's rockets. Those "tentacle"-looking things are actually spread out like bungees during testing to secure whichever part is being stress-tested, as previous renders show.

Though can crushers have been a big part of pre-launch rocket testing for more than a decade, we don't often get to see that part of the action which is why this video of the deflated equipment being rolled around on the launchpad looks all the weirder.

More on SpaceX: SpaceX Tested Starship's Engines and Accidentally Caused a Large Fire

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SpaceX launches 51 Starlink satellites and a space tug to orbit – Space.com

Posted: September 6, 2022 at 4:40 am

SpaceX sent a space tug aloft along with another big batch of its Starlink internet satellites on Sunday night (Sept. 4) and landed a rocket on a ship at sea as well.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off Sunday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on the east coast of Florida, carrying 51 Starlink internet satellites to orbit.

Also on board with Starlink Group 4-20 was Sherpa-LTC2, a space tug provided by Seattle-based company Spaceflight. The tug is carrying a payload for Boeing's Varuna Technology Demonstration Mission (Varuna-TDM), which "aims to test V-band communications for a proposed constellation of 147 non-geostationary broadband satellites," according to SpaceNews (opens in new tab).

The first Sherpa-LTC orbital transfer vehicle was removed from a January 2022 SpaceX launch opportunity due to a propellant leak, SpaceNews added.

Related: SpaceX's Starlink megaconstellation launches in photos

Sunday's flight plan called for SpaceX to bring the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket back to Earth for a soft touchdown on the droneship Just Read the Instructions, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. The landing the seventh for this particular booster occurred as planned, about 8.5 minutes after launch.

Sherpa-LTC2 deployed from the Falcon 9's upper stage about 49 minutes after liftoff, and the Starlinks followed suit 23 minutes after that, SpaceX confirmed via Twitter (opens in new tab).

SpaceX has already sent more than 3,000 Starlink satellites into orbit, in an effort to create a huge constellation for broadband service targeted for remote areas. SpaceX has launched more than 25 Starlink-centric missions in 2022 already.

Sunday's launch was SpaceX's 40th of the year and continued to add to the Starlink megaconstellation. SpaceX has approval to launch 12,000 Starlink satellites and has asked an international regulator to give the thumbs-up to an additional 30,000.

In late August, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk announced plans to beam connectivity directly to smartphones using Starlink, in conjunction with T-Mobile. Another deal announced Tuesday (Aug. 30) will see Starlink service beamed to Royal Caribbean cruise ships.

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SpaceX ‘noise’ goes largely quiet over the summer – 25 News KXXV and KRHD

Posted: at 4:40 am

MCLENNAN COUNTY Say the name SpaceX in Central Texas and most people think of the giant, rocket engine testing facility in McLennan County.

At any one time, close to 1,000 people or more are employed there. They pump a lot of money into the local economy.

For months last winter and spring, though, the facility also pumped out massive noise and disturbances from the engine testing, frustrating thousands in McLennan County.

Then, a curious thing happened this summer: hardly any noise or vibrations.

Through the summer its dissipated even more to the point now where I hear it rarely, and Ive gotten no calls about it since June, said Mayor Jim Hering of McGregor.

The mayor said the situation last fall, and through the first half of 2022, was reaching a boiling point.

The noise was bad, the shaking was bad," said Hering. "SpaceX knew it. Its not a secret to anybody. Its something we openly talked about."

Two big changes helped quiet things down, starting in June.

For one, Hering said SpaceX changed their actual testing stands. Also, the summer months typically help with noise and vibrations because of the atmosphere, he said.

The company has also improved when it's testing, conducting the vast majority now before 9 p.m. when fines kick in from the city. That was a big source of irritation for locals, as well.

That fine is several thousand dollars. It accumulates over the year, so if they do it again its even more, said Hering.

25 News reached out to SpaceX a few times in the past week for comment, but never got a response.

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The Tesla SpaceX Model Is A Hypercar Concept With Rocket Thrusters And Boosters – Men’s Gear

Posted: at 4:40 am

The Cybertrucks delay to 2023, has somewhat marred Elon Musks reputation when it comes to launch dates. However, Teslas announcement of the Semi Trucks arrival before 2022 ends gives us hope that more surprises might be on the way. For the time being, a German automotive designer shares a cool concept he calls the SpaceX Model.

Maximilian Schneider shares an awesome take on what a future hypercar platform from Tesla might look like. As the name implies, this concept fuses a high-performance vehicle with a rocket. Since the Roadsters arrival is still up in the air, well gladly take the SpaceX Model instead.

If only this was the real deal, demand will be through the roof. Now that our expectations are in check, lets find out what this bad boy is all about. From an aesthetic perspective, this machine resembles your typical racer. The marques badge is only visible on the short hood and the SpaceX branding on the front bumper.

The aerodynamic outline of its body is on point, while the cockpit is covered by a heavy-duty canopy akin to that of a fighter jet. Meanwhile, it seems the emission-free ethos of Tesla is no longer applicable here given its configuration. Although the SpaceX Model concept is packing an all-electric drivetrain, there are two massive rocket boosters at the rear and thrusters above each wheel.

Upward-firing units are integrated on the front and rear to aid the vehicles driving dynamics. Furthermore, it should also provide additional downforce to keep the SpaceX Model firmly planted while you push it to the absolute limit. Schneider says there is a street-legal and track-only version. The former can reach speeds of up to 290 mph, while the latter can supposedly hit 327 mph.

Images courtesy of Maximilian Schneider

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SpaceX Scheduled to Launch Falcon 9 Rocket from Cape Canaveral Tonight – SpaceCoastDaily.com

Posted: at 4:40 am

mission will carry another batch of Starlink satellitesSpaceX has scheduled a Falcon 9 rocket launch for Saturday, August 27 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. (SpaceX Image)

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA SpaceX is scheduled a Falcon 9 rocket launch for Sunday, September 4 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Launch is targeted for 10:09 p.m. ET.

The mission will carry more Starlink satellites to space.

Falcon 9 is a reusable, two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the reliable and safe transport of people and payloads into Earth orbit and beyond. Falcon 9 is the worlds first orbital class reusable rocket.

Reusability allows SpaceX to refly the most expensive parts of the rocket, which in turn drives down the cost of space access.

The Falcon 9s first stage booster will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.

Coverage of the launch can be seen on Space Coast Daily TV.

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First Cosmonaut to Fly on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon: Everything You Wanted to Know About Anna Kikina Parabolic Arc – Parabolic Arc

Posted: at 4:40 am

Roscosmos Mission Update

Anna Kikinaisthe only woman in the Russian cosmonaut corps.She will soon go on her first space flight and will do it on the Crew Dragon spacecraft of the American company SpaceX Elon Musk.

What is significant of her flight?

Who is Anna Kikina?

Anna is 37 years old.She was born on August 27, 1984 in Novosibirsk.

In 2005, Anna took courses at the Ministry of Emergency Situations as an instructor in teaching the basics of first aid to the population, she has a lifeguard certificate.

In 2006 she graduated from the Novosibirsk State Academy of Water Transport with a degree in Emergency Protection.In the same place in 2008 she received a second higher education in the specialty Economics and management at the enterprise (transport).According to her first education, Anna Kikinaisa hydraulic engineer, according to her second education, sheisan economist-manager.

For some time before joining the cosmonaut corps, Anna worked as a program director at Radio Siberia Altai LLC.It was there that she learned about the beginning of the selection for the cosmonaut corps.

Before that, I didnt even think about space.More or less understanding what kind of activity this is, having assessed the situation, I decided that this is exactly what I want to do next.I was on fire with the desire for self-realization in this profession,Kikinasaid in one of her interviews.

In 2012, Kikina became a participant in the first open competition for selection to the cosmonaut corps.In total, 43 applications were submitted from women, of which six were invited to the Cosmonaut Training Center for full-time selection.As a result of the selection, only Anna was included in the group of eight cosmonaut candidates (the rest seven were men) who were allowed to train.

From 2012 to 2014, Anna underwent general space training.At this time, she learned to fly an L-39 aircraft, jumped with a parachute, underwent weightlessness training on board the Il-76MDK laboratory aircraft, tests in an isolation chamber, diving training, and survival training in various climatic and geographical zones.

We survive with the equipment that is made specifically for astronauts.The conditions are the same, but the items you use are strictly defined.This is a feature.You learn how to properly deal with the descent vehicle, how to get out of it.To leave or not to leave, to use it in cover or not.Radio communication, access to communication, attracting attention to oneself.You adjust, you get out of the situation.You, for example, have only one machete for the entire crew.There is nothing to dig in the snow, there is no shovel,Anna shared with themedia earlier.

In 2014, by decision of the Interdepartmental Qualification Commission, Anna Kikina was recommended for admission to the position of test cosmonaut of the Roscosmos cosmonaut corps.In 2017, she took part in the SIRIUS international isolation experiment, which simulated a flight to the moon.

Since May 2021, Anna Kikina, together with Sergei Prokopiev and Dmitry Petelin, has been training as a member of the ISS-67 backup crew as a flight engineer for the Soyuz MS-22 manned transport spacecraft and a flight engineer for the International Space Station.

In July 2022, Roscosmos State Corporation and NASA signed an agreement on cross-flights.Within its framework, American astronauts will fly on Russian Soyuz spacecraft, and Russian cosmonauts on American spacecraft.The agreement provides for three exchanges of cosmonauts.

As part of the first of these, NASA astronaut Francisco Rubio entered the crew of the Russian Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft, and Anna Kikina was appointed mission specialist for the crew of the Crew Dragon manned spacecraft as part of the Crew 5 mission. Now Kikina is preparing as a member of the ISS-68 expedition.

The launch of the American manned spacecraft Crew Dragon is planned for the Fall 2022 from the spaceport at Cape Canaveral, Florida.In the near future, Anna will travel to the United States for final training before the flight.

What else is interesting about her?

In 2021, Anna Kikina became the ambassador of the clothing collection for Russian athletes at the Tokyo Olympics.

In 2021, the Barbie brand released a doll in the image of Anna Kikina, who inspired the creators with her talents, successes and personal qualities.Astronaut Barbie is presented in two versions of costumes: in a training suit and an Orlan-type space suit.The doll is released in a single version and is not intended for sale.The first Barbie astronaut doll was dedicated in 1965 to the flight of Valentina Tereshkova.

Anna Kikinaisa master of sports in polyathlon (all-around) and rafting.Certified by PADI OWD.Airborne instructor.She has completed more than 150 parachute jumps.

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First Cosmonaut to Fly on SpaceX's Crew Dragon: Everything You Wanted to Know About Anna Kikina Parabolic Arc - Parabolic Arc

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SpaceX will launch South Korea’s 1st moon mission today: Watch live – Space.com

Posted: August 4, 2022 at 2:49 pm

A SpaceX rocket will heft South Korea's first moon mission into space today, and you can watch the event live.

The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) mission is scheduled to launch at 7:08 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Aug. 4 (2308 GMT) from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Base in coastal Florida. The spacecraft's journey to the moon is expected to take four and a half months.

SpaceX typically broadcasts launches on its YouTube channel (opens in new tab) beginning about 15 to 20 minutes before liftoff occurs. If the launch is successful, the broadcast will run through the landing attempt of the Falcon 9 first stage atop a drone ship in the nearby Atlantic Ocean.

Related: South Korea's moonshot will explore lunar magnetic mysteries and more

KPLO is also named "Danuri," a melding of two Korean words that mean "moon" and "enjoy."

The lunar orbiter includes six payloads that are designed to study the moon's magnetism and search for water. Five were developed by Korean universities and research organizations, and the remaining one is from NASA.

The NASA instrument is ShadowCam, which aims to capture shadowed regions on the moon using high-resolution equipment including a camera, telescope and sensors. It was co-developed by Arizona State University and San Diego-based Malin Space Science Systems. The instrument's optical camera is based on the Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) aboard NASA'sLunar Reconnaissance Orbiter(LRO) but is 200 times more sensitive than any camera that has visited the moon to date.

Danuri's prime mission is to orbit the moon for at least a year, searching for key lunar resources like water ice, helium-3, uranium, silicon and aluminum. It also aims to create a topographic map to identify potential lunar landing locations.

South Korea aims to put a robotic lander on the moonby 2030, and to launch a asteroid sample-return mission further into the future. The asteroid mission follows similar efforts by NASA's OSIRIS-REx and Japan's Hayabusa 2 spacecraft.

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SpaceX’s Starlink has soared, but a course correction may be on the horizon – Fast Company

Posted: at 2:49 pm

The servicewhich advertises download speeds of 50 to 200 Mbps and uploads of 10 to 20 Mbps, and touts its absence of data capswas nearing 500,000 users worldwide in June, per a presentation that CEO Musk shared on Twitter. Among the more inspiring users: Ukrainians defending their country from Russian invaders, and rural Americans who would otherwise be bereft of broadband.

Its honestly life-changing for people like my family, emails Christina Deese, a work-from-home office manager in Cusseta, Georgia, who had previously limped along with slower broadband from a geostationary satellite that had more stringent data caps. I can now video conference with my team, my supervisors and participate in company remote functions, which I had to pass on before.

But Starlink has also seemed to struggle with demand since exiting its public beta test. Users have spent months waiting for receiver hardware to ship and reported performance slowdowns. Meanwhile, Starlink has hiked pricesin March, raising its monthly rate from $99 to $110 and bumping its hardware charge from $499 to $599also, moved to diversify its business by lining up a more lucrative customer base.

But while such clients as airlines and cruise lines may do more to cover capital costs in the billions of dollars, they also complicate SpaceXs math as it tries to balance demand with satellite capacity. Which may lead to even more rural would-be customers waiting for a Starlink box to arrive.

Deese, for example, put down a $99 deposit for Starlink in June of 2021 but did not have a Starlink kit shipped until February.

Jack Mangold, a retiree in Collettsville, North Carolina, waited even longer, having placed an order in February of 2021 that shipped this past April. He says service has been reliable but not particularly fast, writing in an email that hes only getting 25 to 50 Mbps downloads.

It can be all over the place if I test several times a day, Mangold said.

That, however, still represents a major improvement over his previous connectivity: an antiquated digital-subscriber-line service from AT&T.

In June, the network-measurement firm Ooklas Speedtest app showed that Starlinks median U.S. downloads in the first quarter of 2022 hit 90.55 Mbpsa big increase from a year ago, when Starlink downloads sat at 65.72 Mbps, but a drop from the prior quarters 104.97 Mbps. (SpaceX did not return an emailed request for comment.)

Ookla also found Starlink offered faster downloads in every other country tested, topping out at 160.08 Mbps in Lithuania. The likeliest explanation: Demand in the U.S. is outpacing demand in other countries. Its that constant race between capacity and consumption, says analyst Roger Entner, founder of Recon Analytics.

Consistency at any one location can be an issue too: The Starlink connection must be handed off from one satellite to another, and nearby obstacles can block the signals. For example, Deese says tree foliage can sometimes interrupt the connection for several seconds.

Peggy Schaffer, executive director of the ConnectMaine Authority, says Starlink users in her state often need a backup connection, such as a smartphones mobile-hotspot function.

Schaffer adds that some rural Mainers have reported an extra complication: The equipment uses more power than most off-the-grid homes with solar can manage.

With all of these obstacles to adoption in mindand with last years infrastructure law providing some $42 billion in federal funds to build out wired broadbandindustry analysts dont expect Starlink to do more than fill in gaps in coverage. For example, the market-research firm GlobalData predicts that low-Earth-orbit satellite broadband wont exceed 1% of the U.S. residential market through 2027, with fiber-optic broadband taking the biggest bite out of cables market share.

But while Starlinks most enthusiastic early adopters could resent that forecast, Musk himself might not. He has stayed uncharacteristically conservative about Starlinks possible reach, saying in June of 2021 that its really meant for sparsely populated regions.

Starlinks recent move to start selling service to recreational vehicles at much higher pricesand without a wait for hardware to shiprisks embittering the customers who need Starlink the most.

They threw a wrench in their whole effort, Entner commented, adding this option is open to queue jumping by people placing orders for Starlink RV service who dont own RVs.

In a June filing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urging the agency to deny Starlinks bid to offer service to moving vehicles, ships, and aircraft, Harold Felt, senior vice president of the consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge, griped thatSpaceX has decided to give customers in rural America a back seat to gamers on mountain tops and luxury RVs.

The FCC granted Starlinks request for mobile service anyway, leading to the companys announcement of a $5,000/month maritime service for large boats. Its also signed up Hawaiian Airlines and the small regional-jet carrier JSX to start using Starlink for inflight Wi-Fi, which each airline says will be free to use.

In order to build out its constellation, it seems clear that SpaceX will need multiple revenue streams to cover costs that, according to Musks own prediction, could hit $30 billion. SpaceXs current FCC authorization allows a first-generation deployment of 4,408 satellites, but an August 2021 FCC filing envisages a second-generation system of 29,988 satellites.

That volume of satellites raises concerns over orbital congestion and interference with Earth-based astronomy, but it will also require a bigger rocket: SpaceXs not-yet-flown Starship. That two-stage, fully reusable transport could deploy many more Starlinks per launch than the 60 its Falcon 9 can deliver today.

Falcon 9 isnt going to do it, says Marco Cceres, an analyst with the Teal Group.

SpaceX also needs Starship to loft its version 2.0 Starlink satellites (larger, heavier and higher-capacity successors to the current model).

We need Starship to work and to fly frequently, or Starlink 2 will be stuck on the ground, Musk told Everyday Astronaut host Tim Dodd in a May YouTube interview in which he called those next-gen satellites much more capable.

Unlike those other providers, SpaceX builds its own rockets. And its boss has a motivation beyond money to make them work.

Ultimately, his goal is to get Starlink up, but the bigger goal is to colonize Mars, says Cceres. And for that, he needs Starship.

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SpaceX and Viasat fight over whether Starlink can meet FCC speed obligations – Ars Technica

Posted: at 2:49 pm

Enlarge / A Starlink satellite dish.

Starlink

Over a year and a half after tentatively winning $886 million in broadband funding from the government's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF), SpaceX is still trying to get paid by the Federal Communications Commission. One problem for Starlinkthough not the only problemis a series of objections from satellite company Viasat, which says Starlink lacks the capacity and speed to meet FCC obligations.

In a new FCC filing, SpaceX denounced Viasat's "misguided campaign" against the Starlink funding. "Viasat is transparently attempting to have the Commission impede competition at all costs to protect its legacy technology," SpaceX told the FCC. The new SpaceX filing was submitted on Friday and posted to the FCC's website Monday, as pointed out by Light Reading.

But SpaceX might have struggled to get its funding even if Viasat never objected. Starlink was tentatively awarded $886 million in December 2020 by the FCC during the final weeks of Chairman Ajit Pai's tenure. Consumer advocacy group Free Press accused Pai of "subsidiz[ing] broadband for the rich," pointing out that Starlink was awarded money in urban areas including locations at or adjacent to major airports.

Starlink service isn't geographically restricted in the same way as wireline networks, but the RDOF and other programs require ISPs to bid on specific census blocks. Starlink won bids covering 642,925 homes and businesses in 35 states.

In addition to rural areas, SpaceX won "the right to serve a large number of very urban areas that the FCC's broken system deemed eligible for awards," Free Press said. A design flaw in the FCC's mapping system made it possible to bid on subsidies in census blocks that were "surrounded on all sides by fiber."

That RDOF auction was apparently mismanaged by Pai, as Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel announced in July 2021 that the agency must "clean up issues with the program's design originating from its adoption in 2020." The FCC cited "complaints that the program was poised to fund broadband to parking lots and well-served urban areas."

Rosenworcel's office sent letters to dozens of winning bidders, suggesting that they voluntarily give up portions of their funding. SpaceX was one of the auction's biggest winners, and Rosenworcel's FCC asked the company to give up funding in about 6 percent of the 113,900 census blocks where SpaceX tentatively won FCC grants.

The FCC letters to SpaceX and other ISPs pointed to concerns "that certain areas included in the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction are already served by one or more service providers that offer 25/3Mbps broadband service or otherwise raise significant concerns about wasteful spending, such as parking lots and international airports."

SpaceX didn't agree to give up any funding and is apparently still trying to get the full amount. While the FCC review of SpaceX's funding is ongoing, the commission has periodically released RDOF money to various other ISPs over the past year. The FCC also recently proposed $4.3 million in fines against 73 ISPs for defaulting on their bids.

Pai's auction also awarded $1.32 billion to a Las Vegas company called LTD Broadband to serve 528,088 locations in 15 states. But LTD subsequently "missed filing deadlines and failed to secure regulatory approvals needed to receive the money," The Wall Street Journal wrote.

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