Earlier quoted context omitted.
>If the goal is to get levels of performance that Starlink cannot provide, then this makes sense? no, because the only reason Starlink doesn't currently hit the metrics is due to them having so many users joining. They could hit the metrics by temporarily halting signups, cutting off users, or delaying the Pentagon's massive deployment project. Or Musk could cut off Ukraine's capacity, which the US military admits is…
What Pentagon deployment project? I can't find any news stories about military rolling out Starlink. The only news is US paying for Ukraine's access; cutting off Ukraine would not be good for SpaceX. The military doesn't need Starlink with all their communications satellites. They are looking at it for polar use where Starlink has better coverage. Are you talking about the SDA Starshield constellation? That isn't lau…
US agency will not reinstate $900M subsidy for Starlink
241–250 of 773 posts
Re: US agency will not reinstate $900M subsidy for Starlink
#242It looks like it's becoming apparent that Elon's empire is based on a lot of impossible promises. Starlink is probably one of them. A perfect 'business' for Musk. You can show something great - high speed internet in remote areas - and then extrapolate that - just think about the whole world etc... Faster than fibre, with V2... Thing is, this business is probably not economically viable. It can work if not a lot of p…
Re: US agency will not reinstate $900M subsidy for Starlink
#243Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Elon has shown himself to be unworthy of any position where trust and good judgement is required. That's an insane statement given the unprecedented success of SpaceX.
The success of SpaceX is placing Musk in a position to decide where America's allies have access to the internet and choosing what region of the world can be cut off just through meeting politicians he likes.
Re: US agency will not reinstate $900M subsidy for Starlink
#244Earlier quoted context omitted.
>If the goal is to get levels of performance that Starlink cannot provide, then this makes sense? no, because the only reason Starlink doesn't currently hit the metrics is due to them having so many users joining. They could hit the metrics by temporarily halting signups, cutting off users, or delaying the Pentagon's massive deployment project. Or Musk could cut off Ukraine's capacity, which the US military admits is…
> no, because the only reason Starlink doesn't currently hit the metrics is due to them having so many users joining. They could hit the metrics by temporarily halting signups, cutting off users, or delaying the Pentagon's massive deployment project. I admittedly don't know much about this process, but with a billion dollars on the line, why wouldn't they have presented these options? It's not like this came out of n…
Re: US agency will not reinstate $900M subsidy for Starlink
#245Re: US agency will not reinstate $900M subsidy for Starlink
#246Earlier quoted context omitted.
No one else is even close to being able to offer 100/20M rural service.
That's the point of the subsidy: to make the equivalent of fiber runs to rural areas (and presumably local WISPs) cost-effective. The main intent of the subsidy was not to subsidize the development of new, uncertain technologies. Musk still managed to slide in and loot a few billion dollars before they realized that Starlink can't meet their definition of "broadband." No other satellite internet could either.
Re: US agency will not reinstate $900M subsidy for Starlink
#247Earlier quoted context omitted.
VCs are falling over themselves trying to get in on SpaceX. If there were to go public they would immediately be worth hundreds of billions. It will likely be one of the biggest IPOs in history. They are not that strapped for cash.
Then what's the deal with government funds? For a company that doesn't need money, they seem quite upset that they aren't getting much of it.
You can see NEVI as an example.
Re: US agency will not reinstate $900M subsidy for Starlink
#248Earlier quoted context omitted.
VCs are falling over themselves trying to get in on SpaceX. If there were to go public they would immediately be worth hundreds of billions. It will likely be one of the biggest IPOs in history. They are not that strapped for cash.
Then what's the deal with government funds? For a company that doesn't need money, they seem quite upset that they aren't getting much of it.
Re: US agency will not reinstate $900M subsidy for Starlink
#249Earlier quoted context omitted.
We need more competition [1] in orbital launch and orbital internet. Backing SpaceX alone when they have the lead will not lead to a good outcome. I'd imagine that there are also concerns about the close ties Musk has to the Russians and how he's tried to insert himself into the Ukrainian conflict on numerous occasions. [1] Not the largess of traditional government contractors Lockheed and Boeing, but the plethora of…
I don’t think moves like this, where the government acts in an adversarial capacity to successful businesses that it previously supported, will do a lot to attract new capital or technologists. If anything, I’d worry such capriciousness discourages investment in the area. If Musk can’t make it work, what odds do the rest of us face. At least that would be my concern, about how this is received by the wider tech commu…
Your argument is completely detached from reality, and devoid of logic.
Re: US agency will not reinstate $900M subsidy for Starlink
#250It looks like it's becoming apparent that Elon's empire is based on a lot of impossible promises. Starlink is probably one of them. A perfect 'business' for Musk. You can show something great - high speed internet in remote areas - and then extrapolate that - just think about the whole world etc... Faster than fibre, with V2... Thing is, this business is probably not economically viable. It can work if not a lot of p…
FSD is coming any day now right?