- Source｜Tencent
- Release time｜2021-03-30
SpaceX usually broadcasts the test process of its spacecraft in its entirety, but some amateur radio users want more data. As we all know, SpaceX uses specific frequency bands to communicate with its spacecraft, and some amateur radio astronomers try to obtain telemetry data in these broadcasts. After several video signals launched by Starlink on the Falcon 9 were intercepted and decoded, SpaceX made a move to encrypt the video signals.
Earlier this month, video communication data between SpaceX Mission Control and the second stage of the Falcon 9 circulated on social media. The leaked video shows the view of the earth as seen from the second-stage rocket and the second-stage rocket liquid oxygen tank. Amateur radio users learned about the frequencies used by SpaceX because the company was forced to notify the Federal Communications Commission and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration of the frequencies used to communicate with the rocket.
This requirement of the FCC and NTIA means that these frequencies are public. After successfully capturing the video and telemetry data of the Falcon 9 launch, the hobbyist decided to try to capture a similar picture from the interstellar spacecraft SN11 test. The hobbyist pointed the antenna at the SN11 prototype. Although he was able to capture the communication data between the test vehicle and the mission controller, unlike last time, they could not decrypt the information. The communication between SpaceX and the Falcon 9 mission was not encrypted before.
There is a possibility that SpaceX has been encrypting the data of the Starship test flight, and it does not bother to encrypt the data of the Falcon 9 mission.
Of course, amateur radio users will still try to collect data on future Falcon 9 missions, because the leaked data will definitely bring potential harm to the company SpaceX, and it is reasonable that it wants to encrypt all the information.
