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.
Teledesic
It would be a real tragedy if Musk were to increase access, bring competition , and lower the costs of broadband services the same as he’s done for launch services.
These satellites will be well above low earth orbit operations.
I hope Trump exposes such things, and those similar, to Americans who have been exploited and paid for said crap
Yeah, we need to prevent progress at all cost!
4000+ satellites doesn’t sound like geostationary if thats what your getting at. Sounds more like a cloud of fast-moving LEO satellites.
4000+ satellites doesn’t sound like geostationary if thats what your getting at. Sounds more like a cloud of fast-moving LEO satellites.
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No, not geostationary. Another article said around 700 miles. That’s well above the ISS, but low enough to reduce latency compared to geostationary.
Latency will suck bigly. How does 500-600 msec (on a good day) sound? 800 - 1200 msec or worse is more like what you’ll get.
Are you thinking of the sat phone business called Iridium?
After launching its constellation of satellites, they went bankrupt. Another company bought up the assets for pennies on the dollar.
I recall seeing some graphics of all the “space junk” filling Earth’s orbit.
Before adding to the clutter, maybe he could clean that up.
Iridium.
The technology wasn’t quite “there”, grounds units were bulky, service was very expensive (think $3/minute), and was quickly overrun by competing technology.
SpaceX has their own inexpensive launch service, technology costs have plummeted, and wired connectivity is being abandoned for wireless.
As I recall, the “Another company” was a Saudi.
Probably from his usual source: taxpayer-money “grants”. Hold on to your wallet1
“Near earth space will be awfully crowded.”
To wrap my mind around it on a much, much smaller scale, I can visualize 4,425 ‘red’ inner-tubes floating in the ocean. Wonder what the odds of 1,400 ‘blue’ inner-tubes (randomly) hitting a red one are? Add in another variable of weighing the tubes to submerge to different depths and the odds grow even more.
With so much stuff in orbit, we’ll have 40% less sunlight and a new ice age! < /enviro-weenie meltdown >
Thanks for the explanation. I had an image of a redux of the Iridium constellation as others have noted.
I remember a company called GlobeTel Communications Corp which had a platform called Stratellite. Interesting idea at the time but management and funding problems led to bankruptcy.
That was it. Iridium. How many millions did Rat politicians make on this and Global Crossing. Interesting they all abandoned ship just before both companies went belly up. Almost like they “knew” something.
Trump needs to halt all 'green' welfare handouts/subsidies.
I would say this is stupid. You do not need that many satellites. Ground stations could do this at a fraction of the cost.
First things first. The people need decent food and water and medicine in most of the world before internet. I suspect this is just another scam to get taxpayer money.
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