I-Aerospace kunye nefemu yokhuselo iNorthrop Grumman iyasebenzisana nge-SpaceX, ishishini lendawo elikhokelwa ngusomashishini oyibhiliyoni uElon Musk, kwinyathelo lesathelayithi yokuhlola eyimfihlo okwangoku ithatha imifanekiso ephezulu yoMhlaba, ngokutsho kwemithombo eyaziwayo ngeprogram.
Le projekthi ijolise ekomelezeni amandla karhulumente wase-US wokubeka iliso kumkhosi kunye neethagethi zobuntlola ezisuka kwimijikelo yeMihlaba ephantsi, enikezela ngemifanekiso eneenkcukacha edla ngokufunyanwa ziidrones kunye neenqwelomoya zolwazi.
Ukubandakanyeka kwe-Northrop Grumman, eyayingachazwanga ngaphambili, ibonisa iinzame zikarhulumente zokwahlula ukubandakanyeka kookontraka kwiinkqubo ezinovakalelo zobuntlola, ukunciphisa ukuthembela kwiziko elinye elilawulwa ngumntu omnye.
Ngokutsho kwabangaphakathi, iNorthrop Grumman inegalelo kwizinzwa ezithile ze-SpaceX satellites, eziya kuvavanywa kwizibonelelo zaseNorthrop Grumman ngaphambi kokuba zithunyelwe. Malunga neesathelayithi ze-SpaceX ezingama-50 ekulindeleke ukuba zingene kwiinkqubo, kubandakanywa uvavanyo kunye nokufakelwa kwenzwa, kumaziko aseNorthrop Grumman kwiminyaka ezayo.
Imithombo ibonisa ukuba i-SpaceX ikhuphe iiprototypes ezimalunga neshumi elinambini ukuza kuthi ga ngoku kwaye sele ihambisa imifanekiso yovavanyo kwi-NRO, iarhente yobuntlola enoxanduva lophuhliso lwesathelayithi yentlola yase-US.
Ubuchule bokucinga bothungelwano lwenzelwe ukodlula isisombululo seenkqubo zokucupha esele zikhona zikarhulumente wase-US. Ukongeza, inethiwekhi ijolise ekujonganeni nenkxalabo ecinezelayo: ukuthembela kakhulu kwiidrones kunye neenqwelomoya zokuphinda ziqokelele imifanekiso kwindawo yomoya yangaphandle, ebeka imingcipheko yendalo, ngakumbi kwiindawo zongquzulwano. Ngokususa ukuqokelelwa kwemifanekiso kwi-orbit yomhlaba, amagosa ase-US azama ukunciphisa le mingcipheko.
Kwi-SpaceX, edume ngokuphehlelelwa ngokukhawuleza kweerokethi eziphinda zisetyenziswe kunye namalinge orhwebo ngesathelayithi, le projekthi iphawula ukuqaliswa kwayo kwiinkonzo zokucupha ubuntlola, ummandla ngokwesiko olawulwa zii-arhente zikarhulumente kunye nokusekwa kweekontraka ze-aerospace.
Ibhalwe ngu Alius Noreika
Ukuphehlelelwa kwerokethi ethwele iisathelayithi zeStarlink. Umfanekiso wekhredithi: SpaceX nge Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0 ilayisenisi
