📶 Japan’s airborne solar 5G antennas will connect remote areas

Plus: India launches first X-ray telescope, Chinese spy balloon exploited US internet providers                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 January 01, 2024 | [Read Online]( Happy New Year! Japan is already looking ahead to 2025, with plans to pursue an ambitious strategy to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles offering wide-range 5G connectivity next year. Called high altitude platform stations (HAPS), these solar-powered pseudo-satellites could overcome ground infrastructure challenges that have slowed internet adoption, especially in remote regions. While rival China accelerates terrestrial 5G build-out globally, much of Africa lacks coverage, with only 24 percent of people online. Enter HAPS - with a 200-kilometer coverage radius that could enable universal access through fleets of floating cellular nodes. Japan recently secured international spectrum rights to enable its stratospheric vision. And with tests already proving feasibility, the country appears determined to reassert its leadership in telecommunications by providing universal coverage from the edge of space. Jump to today’s [Must Read]( to learn more about the tech that will make this possible. 🎙 New podcast [Retrofit AI and automation: the future of construction and mining]([.]( 👀 Have you subscribed to Engineer Pros? For the latest engineering news, career updates, and insider knowledge every Tuesday, [sign up here](. Good morning. I’m Tim, newsletter editor at IE. This is the Blueprint. Let’s get into 2024! Did a friend forward this e-mail to you? [Subscribe ✉](  VIDEO OF THE DAY The Concorde: Revolutionizing Air Travel Discover the iconic Concorde, a supersonic marvel that transformed air travel with its incredible speed and engineering. IE+ SUPPORT INTERESTING ENGINEERING Invest In Science And Engineering Insider access to exclusive content, featuring riveting stories that take you right to the heart of the action. Engage with our thriving online community, dive into captivating science discoveries, and stay informed with our enlightening weekly premium newsletters. With IE+, quality reporting is more than just news - and it is Ad-Free. [Subscribe]( HOT TOPICS - 🌏 [Magnitude 7.6 earthquake hits Japan, tsunami warning issued]( A wave about one meter high hit some areas along the Sea of Japan, and a bigger wave is expected. - ⚠️ [Loose bolt startles Boeing; urges 737 MAX inspection]( Boeing urges global inspections of 737 MAX planes as the FAA closely monitors. - 🛰 [Three spy satellites, recon drones, nukes on North Korea’s 2024 threat list]( Kim Jong Un, has unveiled plans to launch more satellites and test more nukes in the coming year. - 🛡 [Earth's gravity, the unsung protector against asteroids]( A recent study suggests Earth's gravity may tear apart asteroids. MUST READ 📶 [Japan to dispatch solar-powered, flying 5G mobile base station in 2025]( Buoyed by newly allotted international radio frequencies, Japan is moving ahead with a plan to deploy fleets of solar-powered high altitude platform stations (HAPS) by 2025. These stratospheric pseudo-satellites could provide wide 5G coverage to remote areas that are otherwise lacking in cellular infrastructure. One soaring base station with a 200 km range could replace numerous ground-based towers. With HAPS demos already proven and standard frequency bands now secured globally, Japan is poised to connect more of the world’s most inaccessible areas. Click below for an artist’s impression of the futuristic flying base station, and learn more about this plan to accelerate the rollout of global broadband. [Read more >]( [SCIENCE]( 🚀 [India launches pioneering X-ray space observatory]([Â]( The Indian Space Research Organization successfully deployed its first dedicated X-ray polarization detection satellite, XPoSat, using aPolar Satellite Launch Vehicle. Weighing 880 pounds, the five-year mission will study extreme celestial phenomena like black holes and neutron stars by measuring orientation and degree of emitted X-ray polarization. An additional experimental payload also furthers India’s human spaceflight goals. Learn more about the mission revealing galactic secrets. [Read more >]( [MILITARY]( 🕵🏼 [Chinese spy balloon used US internet provider for communication: Report]( US authorities revealed that an intruding Chinese surveillance balloon secretly piggybacked on an American commercial internet provider to communicate with China. Ongoing forensic analysis aims to uncover details around the apparently extensive sensory equipment recovered after the vehicle was shot down amid denial of an intent to spy by China’s government. Learn more about the questions that still linger around this incident. [Read more >]( Question of the Day Which area do you think will see the most significant advances in 2024? 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