Sandhoo identified several issues with the first Tranche 1 satellites during a roundtable with reporters before this week’s launch. Ground controllers lacked sufficient ground station coverage to communicate with the satellites after last year’s launches. Some of the satellites encountered thermal control and propulsion system problems as they climbed from their insertion orbit to an operational altitude of more than 600 miles (1,000 kilometers), significantly higher than SpaceX’s Starlink Internet network, Sandhoo said.
“We are in a pretty harsh radiation environment at 1,000 kilometers, so not all of our orbit raising has gone according to plan,” he said. “It has been sporadic. We’re working through it.” Sandhoo is optimistic
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