SpaceX’s Saturday launch will two test smallsats for its planned 11K internet constellation
Capitalism in space: SpaceX will include two test smallsats for its planned internet constellation of more than 11k satellites when launches a Spanish radar satellite in two days.
The FCC gave SpaceX permission for the test in November, and new documents now show that SpaceX will piggyback Microsat-2a and Microsat-2b onto its launch of a Spanish radar satellite called Paz. The mission is set to lift off from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Saturday at 9:14 a.m. ET aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, according to Spaceflight Now.
Ajit Jai, chairperson of the FCC — the government entity which must ultimately approve SpaceX’s plans — endorsed the effort on Wednesday. “Satellite technology can help reach Americans who live in rural or hard-to-serve places where fiber optic cables and cell towers do not reach,” Pai told Reuters in a statement.
A lot of news sources have made a big deal about Jai’s endorsement, as if that endorsement guarantees FCC approval of SpaceX’s gigantic constellation. It doesn’t, though it certainly helps.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Capitalism in space: SpaceX will include two test smallsats for its planned internet constellation of more than 11k satellites when launches a Spanish radar satellite in two days.
The FCC gave SpaceX permission for the test in November, and new documents now show that SpaceX will piggyback Microsat-2a and Microsat-2b onto its launch of a Spanish radar satellite called Paz. The mission is set to lift off from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on Saturday at 9:14 a.m. ET aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, according to Spaceflight Now.
Ajit Jai, chairperson of the FCC — the government entity which must ultimately approve SpaceX’s plans — endorsed the effort on Wednesday. “Satellite technology can help reach Americans who live in rural or hard-to-serve places where fiber optic cables and cell towers do not reach,” Pai told Reuters in a statement.
A lot of news sources have made a big deal about Jai’s endorsement, as if that endorsement guarantees FCC approval of SpaceX’s gigantic constellation. It doesn’t, though it certainly helps.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon or from any other book seller. If you want an autographed copy the price is $60 for the hardback and $45 for the paperback, plus $8 shipping for each. Go here for purchasing details. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Launch slipped to Sunday, 6:16 a.m. PST (9:16 a.m. EST; 1416 GMT) to allow for “additional time for system checks”.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/02/16/falcon-9-paz-mission-status-center/
Still chance for good pre-dawn views for early risers on west coast.
SkyNet (it isn’t officially called that, is it, for some reason?) doesn’t send data directly to the phone in the user’s hand, I doubt that it’s worthwhile to launch hundreds of satellites. Because certainly soon a competitor will provide that capability. Even with ground stations, Global SkyNet offers great advantages, but not for long enough to make it profitable, I think. Imagine if the similar concepts dreamed up in the 1990s had come true. 14k modem speed. It wouldn’t have been the future for very long.
Local said:
“SkyNet (it isn’t officially called that, is it, for some reason?) “…
It’s called StarLink.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_satellite_constellation
“…doesn’t send data directly to the phone in the user’s hand, I doubt that it’s worthwhile to launch hundreds of satellites.”
Actually, it will send data directly to a tablet in a user’s hand. It will use handheld phased array antenna technology to do so. You’re right, it won’t use hundreds of satellites. It will use 4,425 at first, and later 11,000.
“Because certainly soon a competitor will provide that capability.”
That’s fine. The satellites are designed to deorbit themselves after 5 years anyway, to make room for newer StarLink satellites with newer and more capable tech. Doing this with FH and BFR makes launching cheap enough to profit from such rapid technology turnover.
Localfluff wrote: “[StarLink] doesn’t send data directly to the phone in the user’s hand, I doubt that it’s worthwhile to launch hundreds of satellites.”
Interestingly, the Internet of Things (IoT) will have a need for satellites, even though other connectivity methods will be the primary means. However, the expectation is that the IoT will include things in remote areas, not easily accessed by normal connectivity methods.
http://spacenews.com/sigfoxs-cto-on-where-satellite-fits-in-an-iot-only-network/
“From Mallart’s perspective, there is need for satellite in making the Internet reach everything it can, but satellite won’t be the primary connectivity most of the time.”
“The idea is that IoT is a global market and a lot of use cases require connectivity from very remote areas. It doesn’t make business sense to put Sigfox antennas in every single place in every country because it becomes too expensive, and there are some areas where there are very few objects to connect. … And of course there is an economic equation to solve between how many satellites you need to launch, what is the cost of the satellite, and how many base stations on the ground. This is a complex situation and working with the satellite companies can help solve these equations.”
“The Internet of Things is mostly about connecting sensors to the internet so we are able to sense activities on the ground, whether it is sensing soil moisture, or heat or chemicals in the ground. In logistics you are sensing the position of the vans.”
Satellites are not the primary source of connectivity: “Satellite is often looked at as a last resort for connectivity.”
Since there is so much interest in satellites for connectivity, it seems that the demand for connectivity is greater than the supply will be, on the ground, for some time to come.
Tom Billings has it nailed when he points out that these are not the regular, huge, expensive, massive, 15-year, geostationary satellites that we normally think of but are smaller, cheaper, faster, lower-orbit, and may be cubesats. The business model need to only last as long as it takes for alternate means of connectivity are available worldwide, although satellites may be the means of choice for oceangoing ships for quite some time.
Another slip to Wednesday, Feb 21, 6:17 a.m. PST (9:17 a.m. EST; 1417 GMT).
https://spaceflightnow.com/2018/02/16/falcon-9-paz-mission-status-center/
No reason given, as of now.