Posted on 11/21/2016 2:45:10 AM PST by LibWhacker
Elon Musk has announced an ambitious plan to put more than 4,000 satellites in space to create a global high-speed internet network.
Musk first turned his attention to internet satellites in 2014, and his plan soon received the backing of Google, which chucked $1bn at Space Exploration Technologies Corp, aka SpaceX. Musk said in January 2015 that the plan would cost at least $10bn. The original number of satellites was pinned at 700, but documents filed with the US Federal Communications Commission show that SpaceX wants to deploy 4,425 satellites, plus “in-orbit spares”, to provide high-speed, global internet coverage. Earth is currently orbited by just 1,400 satellites.
In the filing, SpaceX said: “The system is designed to provide a wide range of broadband and communications services for residential, commercial, institutional, government and professional users worldwide.”
Such a system would provide a space-based alternative to cable, fiber-optics and the other terrestrial internet access currently available. Estimated internet speeds from the satellites could be as high as 23 gigabytes-per-second – and SpaceX says it will periodically improve the satellites over time.
If this initial launch is successful, SpaceX said it will launch the remaining satellites.
“Once fully deployed, the SpaceX system will pass over virtually all parts of the Earth’s surface and therefore, in principle, have the ability to provide ubiquitous global service,” the filing said.
“Because of the combination of orbital planes used in the SpaceX System, including the use of near-polar orbits, every point on the Earth’s surface will see, at all times, a SpaceX satellite at an elevation no less than 40 degrees, with increasing minimum elevation angles at lower latitude.”
Musk’s SpaceX isn’t the only firm looking to satellites as the future of internet connectivity. Google’s Project Loon has a similar plan, albeit involving network-connected balloons, and Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic previously made an agreement with OneWeb to invest in and deploy satellites in space.
I would question where all this money will come from.
I’m thinking that, besides normal Internet coverage, we will also see voice service (if latency can be kept tolerable).
This will allow increasing numbers of people to bypass their local telecom monopolies.
Meaning that we(taxpayers) will subsidize Musk's company, and also help pay for third world toilets services'...again.
I’ll give you three guesses.
Please recall. We have seen this movie before. I can’t recall they name of the company but it was concurrent with the Global Crossing fiasco. During BJ’s administration. It is the early version of the Solyndra business model. Farming taxpayer funds through gummint grants.
That’s Space X (aka the Internet 2)
Basically the Globalist will be able to track you anywhere on the planet. The Globalist will be able to send a Drone or a Robot to you.
Although you will be able to get the high speed Internet anywhere. It will not matter if you are in the Amazon or the Arctic.
Once the Quantum chip goes mainstream (2024) and Space X too goes online. Prepare for the great leap over the next 5 years (2024-2029). Then we will be living in the Jetsons. Yep stuff that we use to dream about will become reality.
Hope he doesn’t plan on tapping taxpayers! Though high-speed would be nice, about a third of the world’s population is illiterate and about a third don’t have access to electricity at all or access to reliable electricity.
And, what(?), maybe fully half couldn’t afford a computer if they wanted it. So perhaps more than 60%(?) of the world doesn’t have any use for a global internet. I don’t want to pay for it, that’s for sure!
See too, “Oneweb.” A planned 648 satellite constellation, with work underway.
“Hope he doesn’t plan on tapping taxpayers!”
LOL!
“I don’t want to pay for it, that’s for sure!”
You will.
Elon Musk is just another African living on the US government dole...
Near earth space will be awfully crowded. I wonder what the US Air Force thinks about all these high-speed bullets whizzing around?
Yup, global Internet and a free Obamafoam for every human, as a human right, provided by the UN at US Taxpayer expense. Trillions in boondoggle providing free smartphones for people who can’t read and have no place to recharge them.
We have two years to kill the UN.
This dude in insane in the membrane... Time to pull the financial plug on this fool and his maniacal meanderings. He can’t even keep up with the production quota’s for his fantastical and very explosive Tesla car.
“Hope he doesn’t plan on tapping taxpayers!”
And then we can maybe give it away like Obama did the internet.
There is a reason companies like Google were in the White House everyday.
” I would question where all this money will come from.”
From people not allowed to be in the cast of Hamilton.
I really hate how his employees chant “USA” whenever they accomplish something big.
I would question where all this money will come from.
...
I don’t know but I hate how SpaceX has already lowered launch costs.
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