NewScientist (26 November 2016) reports that SpaceX is planning to put thousands of communication satellites in orbit in order to enable a faster Internet:
The satellites will orbit at between 1150 and 1275 kilometres above Earth. SpaceX plans to kick things off with an initial constellation of 1600 satellites followed by a further 2825, all of which will be put into four orbital shells to improve coverage.
Geostationary orbit is at an altitude of 35,786 kilometres, so we’re not talking about a relatively high orbit, which would also engender high latency on the network; the article doesn’t say so, but perhaps concerns about high latency motivated the relatively low orbit. This is also more than the total number of satellites currently in orbit. But the real surprise?
Similar projects are being developed by Airbus, Virgin Galactic and Boeing, among others.
Source: NASA
I am led to speculate as to the average cost of putting a single satellite in orbit, and to wonder if this is potentially a spectacular waste of resources through duplication of effort. NewScientist notes that at the 800 satellite mark, SpaceX will be able to put the majority of the world online, and, if you think about it, thus begins the growth of dependency. This reminds me of a bit of history: J. J. Hill, a railroad baron, developed his empire in part by buying the land around the railroad as he laid the track and then gave it, or sold it cheaply, to immigrants who would then require the services of the railroad in order to get supplies and ship their crops. Could a similar scheme have been hatched at SpaceX? I think of this in connection with satellite replacement, because that’s a non-trivial cost – but if SpaceX can build the demand for the communications, they may be able to cover replacement costs easily.
Speaking of, I am unsure as to the lifetime of these satellites, and the possibilities of collisions with current and future satellites. Presumably, SpaceX has given this some thought …
