Musk shakes up SpaceX in race to make satellite launch window: sources
1–10 of 77 posts
Re: Musk shakes up SpaceX in race to make satellite launch window: sources
#2Interesting comparison - how important firing (actually, relieving) high numbers of generals is in war, when the rubber has to hit the road.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxZWxxZ2JGE
Re: Musk shakes up SpaceX in race to make satellite launch window: sources
#3my dad taught me a phrase from back in the bell-labs/telco-heyday that has stayed with me as timeless
"eventually you have to decide its time to shoot the engineers and ship the product"
Re: Musk shakes up SpaceX in race to make satellite launch window: sources
#4I like the quote about putting Comcast out of business, but I don't know that I would have said as much publicly.
Re: Musk shakes up SpaceX in race to make satellite launch window: sources
#5Starlink is highly ambitious. What they're trying to do is basically a miniature version of the o3b network MEO architecture, where every CPE terminal needs to track two satellites simultaneously. The difference is that an o3b terminal starts from about $30,000 , they're trying to build something with a CPE cost under $700.
This is literally a "has never been done before" satellite communications challenge. The only thing comparable for LEO based services is the Iridium architecture, which is designed around a very different use case and data rate (about 3600 bps, for the first gen stuff).
Re: Musk shakes up SpaceX in race to make satellite launch window: sources
#6I like the quote about putting Comcast out of business, but I don't know that I would have said as much publicly.
It might not be comcast that dies, but rather a couple of the cell phone vendors. Those are the businesses that are making bank on what is basically low bandwidth wide area coverage. Given the transmission path is going to be going up, it seems that a lot of the existing problems with topology and buildings getting it the way will be reduced.
Anyway, I'm in a town with google fiber, but can't get more than a 30Mbit uplink on spectrum (which is actually faster than AT&T) because the only places in town with competition are the areas already served by google fiber.
It won't take much to kill these lumbering giants that refuse to invest in their infrastructure. Particularly given the ill will most people feel towards them.
Re: Musk shakes up SpaceX in race to make satellite launch window: sources
#7I like the quote about putting Comcast out of business, but I don't know that I would have said as much publicly.
It might not be comcast that dies, but rather a couple of the cell phone vendors. Those are the businesses that are making bank on what is basically low bandwidth wide area coverage. Given the transmission path is going to be going up, it seems that a lot of the existing problems with topology and buildings getting it the way will be reduced. Anyway, I'm in a town with google fiber, but can't get more than a 30Mbit u…
Amen, I am in a smaller city in Central Va. If you go more than 10 minutes outside the city no Comcast. There is a local cable company but it is 3x the Comcast price for half the speed. I can be 15 minutes outside of the city and have no internet options.
Re: Musk shakes up SpaceX in race to make satellite launch window: sources
#8Starlink is highly ambitious. What they're trying to do is basically a miniature version of the o3b network MEO architecture, where every CPE terminal needs to track two satellites simultaneously. The difference is that an o3b terminal starts from about $30,000 , they're trying to build something with a CPE cost under $700. This is literally a "has never been done before" satellite communications challenge. The only…
...and Iridium famously resulted in the largest US bankruptcy ever, nine months after launch:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridium_Communications#History
Initial investment ~$6B, sold to US gov't for $25m. Here's hoping Spacex has better luck.
Re: Musk shakes up SpaceX in race to make satellite launch window: sources
#9my dad taught me a phrase from back in the bell-labs/telco-heyday that has stayed with me as timeless "eventually you have to decide its time to shoot the engineers and ship the product"
Read that at a glance as "taco bell heyday". Now I'm wondering if the phrase still applies.
Re: Musk shakes up SpaceX in race to make satellite launch window: sources
#10Starlink is highly ambitious. What they're trying to do is basically a miniature version of the o3b network MEO architecture, where every CPE terminal needs to track two satellites simultaneously. The difference is that an o3b terminal starts from about $30,000 , they're trying to build something with a CPE cost under $700. This is literally a "has never been done before" satellite communications challenge. The only…
...and Iridium famously resulted in the largest US bankruptcy ever, nine months after launch: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridium_Communications#History Initial investment ~$6B, sold to US gov't for $25m. Here's hoping Spacex has better luck.
Yes, and the successor corporation of Iridium which bought it out of bankruptcy, and renamed itself to Iridium, has been wildly successful in the maritime, government, aviation, exploration/expedition, military markets. Which is where having a 2400 to 3600 baud (or voice and SMS) service that functions literally anywhere on the planet, pole to pole, is a highly desirable service.
The original 1998-2000 marketing materials for Iridium are ridiculous, like a traveling executive is going to take a gargantuan expensive satellite phone with them when traveling internationally, rather than relying on GSM roaming agreements.