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The headline makes this sound really novel, but I see it as another example of governments being out of touch with industry accomplishments when they aren't published in journals (but are available elsewhere). SpaceX has been pushing software updates to the Starlink constellation several times a week for years.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Starlink/comments/gxypym/starlink_h...

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Updating software is as old as space systems that had software. Even the Voyager probes could receive software updates and were updated many times. Curiosity famously was launched without code to do the landing sequence, it was sent over the air while Curiosity was in cruise to Mars.

I think what is novel about this satellite is that it has a software-defined radio and a phased array antenna, and this press release is just so dumbed down that it has lost all technical meaning.

I don't think the governments are out of touch, I think that ESA in particular likes putting out self-congratulatory press releases that don't mention any competition.

BTW this is different from uploading new software to a satellite, that's been normal for decades.

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