I ran across this YouTube doc loaded with details about the SpaceX Starlink system.
Here are some of the points of interest:
It's FAST; faster than the fastest fiber optic cable. Apparently stock traders are willing to invest heavily for something offering as small as a 5 millisecond communications advantage when in buying and selling. If you hold that advantage as a big trading house, you pretty much own the trading floor; you can essentially print money. I didn't realize this, but the current fastest trans-Atlantic cable was financed precisely by such a conglomerate of interests.
The Starlink system keeps its satellites in LOW orbit, (just over 500 Km up. Compared to the 35,786 Km of geosynchronous orbit).
The satellites use lasers to communicate with each other; the idea is that they are in constant connection with four other satellites at all times, just to maintain an open channel to provide switching options.
The satellites transmit into 500 sq Km fields onto the Earth's surface, aiming using fixed antennas and destructive wave forms to guide signals.
Receivers are pizza-box sized dish units on the ground. So anybody can get a link. The projected retail customer price is around $250 in hardware.
The satellites aren't that small. They have big unfolding solar panels. The video didn't give measurements, but they aren't baseballs.
This was interesting; the satellites are designed to self-destruct at the end of their service life by plunging out of orbit and burning up. This made me think that it might serve as a handy system to cover up for comet activity. 15,000 satellites? We'd see a few of them burning up every night.
All in all, this seems more like a sci-fi dream thought up by a 12 year-old than it does an actual system somebody is really building, and so quickly, too. Setting aside all the many negatives, from a sheer engineering perspective, it's an absolutely mind-numbing accomplishment. Hmm... It's a mind-numbing accomplishment in other ways, too.
I'd be very interested to know what a floating low-power HAARP system can do. I'd LOVE to see the super-secret CIA documents on this stuff. I wonder if people will stop chuckling and clear their throats awkwardly as tin foil hats become a main stream concern?
Anyway, check it out for yourself:
Here are some of the points of interest:
It's FAST; faster than the fastest fiber optic cable. Apparently stock traders are willing to invest heavily for something offering as small as a 5 millisecond communications advantage when in buying and selling. If you hold that advantage as a big trading house, you pretty much own the trading floor; you can essentially print money. I didn't realize this, but the current fastest trans-Atlantic cable was financed precisely by such a conglomerate of interests.
The Starlink system keeps its satellites in LOW orbit, (just over 500 Km up. Compared to the 35,786 Km of geosynchronous orbit).
The satellites use lasers to communicate with each other; the idea is that they are in constant connection with four other satellites at all times, just to maintain an open channel to provide switching options.
The satellites transmit into 500 sq Km fields onto the Earth's surface, aiming using fixed antennas and destructive wave forms to guide signals.
Receivers are pizza-box sized dish units on the ground. So anybody can get a link. The projected retail customer price is around $250 in hardware.
The satellites aren't that small. They have big unfolding solar panels. The video didn't give measurements, but they aren't baseballs.
This was interesting; the satellites are designed to self-destruct at the end of their service life by plunging out of orbit and burning up. This made me think that it might serve as a handy system to cover up for comet activity. 15,000 satellites? We'd see a few of them burning up every night.
All in all, this seems more like a sci-fi dream thought up by a 12 year-old than it does an actual system somebody is really building, and so quickly, too. Setting aside all the many negatives, from a sheer engineering perspective, it's an absolutely mind-numbing accomplishment. Hmm... It's a mind-numbing accomplishment in other ways, too.
I'd be very interested to know what a floating low-power HAARP system can do. I'd LOVE to see the super-secret CIA documents on this stuff. I wonder if people will stop chuckling and clear their throats awkwardly as tin foil hats become a main stream concern?
Anyway, check it out for yourself: