I’m very hopeful about low orbit broadband. Both for more global access and to potentially escape the current oligopoly. With a few players we may get real competition!
>> The filings lay out a plan to put 3,236 satellites in low Earth orbit
>> Last year, SpaceX launched the first two prototype satellites for its Starlink broadband data constellation, which is projected to grow to more than 12,000 satellites in low Earth orbit.
>> OneWeb had its first six broadband satellites launched in February, and plans to put hundreds more in place over the next year or two
>> Telesat put its first prototype broadband satellite in low Earth orbit last year, and plans to have hundreds more launched
Had no idea these networks would be so big. This sounds bonkers! I wonder large these birds are and how many go up per launch?
Amazon has the advantage that Blue Origin can be their launch provider, a capability that Bezos cleverly developed without having to justify the expenses to any stakeholders (running a public company can suck sometimes, as a famous business man once said about his electric car company). It has massive funds for this enterprise as well. While they are only getting started, I'd definitely take them seriously. Never underestimate Bezos...
SpaceX being their own launch provider has its own advantages as they could fully utilize the cost savings of reusability. On top of that, they seem to almost have a headstart. Two test satellites in orbit, the first batch scheduled for about june this year. Looks good.
OneWeb has launched their first satellites already but they'd have to pay the full price for their launches, so they're at a disadvantage here. OK-ish outlook, I'd say. I'd still place them behind Amazon if I had to rank these three.
I'm really curious how the satellite internet provider story will end but I'm rooting for SpaceX. They have the most compelling vision in the long term.
Bezos seems to be more like sweatshops-on-earth-suck-let's-put-them-in-the-asteroid-belt and frankly ... I don't like this one as much as the other.
What are some economics of this? I figure each satellite costs at least $100mm to build/deploy. I know Amazon has access to a lot of capital, but $300b is too much even for them.
11 comments
[ 3.7 ms ] story [ 37.4 ms ] thread>> Last year, SpaceX launched the first two prototype satellites for its Starlink broadband data constellation, which is projected to grow to more than 12,000 satellites in low Earth orbit.
>> OneWeb had its first six broadband satellites launched in February, and plans to put hundreds more in place over the next year or two
>> Telesat put its first prototype broadband satellite in low Earth orbit last year, and plans to have hundreds more launched
Had no idea these networks would be so big. This sounds bonkers! I wonder large these birds are and how many go up per launch?
SpaceX being their own launch provider has its own advantages as they could fully utilize the cost savings of reusability. On top of that, they seem to almost have a headstart. Two test satellites in orbit, the first batch scheduled for about june this year. Looks good.
OneWeb has launched their first satellites already but they'd have to pay the full price for their launches, so they're at a disadvantage here. OK-ish outlook, I'd say. I'd still place them behind Amazon if I had to rank these three.
I'm really curious how the satellite internet provider story will end but I'm rooting for SpaceX. They have the most compelling vision in the long term.
Bezos seems to be more like sweatshops-on-earth-suck-let's-put-them-in-the-asteroid-belt and frankly ... I don't like this one as much as the other.
https://b4rn.org.uk/
https://techcrunch.com/2019/02/25/ubiquitilink-advance-means...
I don't buy that a cell phone has the power transmit to LEO even with clear skies and line of sight, but seems interesting.