Low-orbit data centers become interesting in this context. Yes, problems with radiation, solar flares and traditional ops. But 'free' power, real estate (1) and cooling.
(1) Low orbit real estate may be a future battleground?
Starshield: Secured satellite network for government entities
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Re: Starshield: Secured satellite network for government entities
#12Sooner or later the US Government will realize the Starship will be a good launching vehicle for the ballistic missile defense. Currently a midcourse ground base interceptor booster [1] weighs more than 20 tons, costs a few tens of millions, and carries one single kill vehicle [2] that weighs about 64 kg.
A single Starship would be able to carry more than 1000 such kill vehicles. If Russia launches a few hundred missiles at the US, a couple Starships could send multiple kill vehicle against each Russian warhead.
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exoatmospheric_Kill_Vehicle
Re: Starshield: Secured satellite network for government entities
#13Not exactly a name you want associated with anything to do with national security right now.
SpaceX has been launching Department of Defense payloads since 2006.
I didn’t say they were new to the game I said they probably aren’t looking super reliable all of a sudden.
Things that tend to matter a lot in that world are credibility, stability and reliability.
New information has come in via a very public set of car crashes and that relationship is now looking like a liability.
Re: Starshield: Secured satellite network for government entities
#14Low-orbit data centers become interesting in this context. Yes, problems with radiation, solar flares and traditional ops. But 'free' power, real estate (1) and cooling. (1) Low orbit real estate may be a future battleground?
Cooling is actually a big problem in space.
Re: Starshield: Secured satellite network for government entities
#15Low-orbit data centers become interesting in this context. Yes, problems with radiation, solar flares and traditional ops. But 'free' power, real estate (1) and cooling. (1) Low orbit real estate may be a future battleground?
There is no free cooling in the space. It is actually harder to cool something in the space than in Sahara, because you have no air that you can dump energy into. Your only choice is to radiate heat away, which is very inefficient.
Re: Starshield: Secured satellite network for government entities
#16Huh. "Secured Satellite Network For Government Entities" .. which, or how many, entities? You can only offer your service to so many before you hit those inevitable political barriers. I think they're already firmly cemented in the "US and allies" market, so the broadly-worded marketing text is a bit funny to me.
Re: Starshield: Secured satellite network for government entities
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
SpaceX has been launching Department of Defense payloads since 2006.
I didn’t say they were new to the game I said they probably aren’t looking super reliable all of a sudden. Things that tend to matter a lot in that world are credibility, stability and reliability. New information has come in via a very public set of car crashes and that relationship is now looking like a liability.
Could you elaborate for those of us who don’t typically follow space news? Has Space-X had some trouble recently?
Re: Starshield: Secured satellite network for government entities
#18Sooner or later the US Government will realize the Starship will be a good launching vehicle for the ballistic missile defense. Currently a midcourse ground base interceptor booster [1] weighs more than 20 tons, costs a few tens of millions, and carries one single kill vehicle [2] that weighs about 64 kg. A single Starship would be able to carry more than 1000 such kill vehicles. If Russia launches a few hundred miss…
No post body was provided.
Re: Starshield: Secured satellite network for government entities
#19trusting a dude who is compromised by interests in China up to his eyeballs to do anything involving national security seems unwise
He is 1/10th as compromised as Tim Apple, and the DoD uses iPhones.
Re: Starshield: Secured satellite network for government entities
#20Sooner or later the US Government will realize the Starship will be a good launching vehicle for the ballistic missile defense. Currently a midcourse ground base interceptor booster [1] weighs more than 20 tons, costs a few tens of millions, and carries one single kill vehicle [2] that weighs about 64 kg. A single Starship would be able to carry more than 1000 such kill vehicles. If Russia launches a few hundred miss…
SpaceX already has contracts for a Missile Defense Shield (w/ SDA, now part of Space Force). Govt program was started by Mike Griffin-- one of the early founders of Strategic Defense Initiative, space kill vehicles, and SpaceX itself.
His history with Elon is fascinating.