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Ask HN: Did Google/Alphabet ever try to build a Starlink?

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Re: Ask HN: Did Google/Alphabet ever try to build a Starlink?

#31

Post by leoh »

more_corn wrote: post #23
elmerfud wrote: post #6

Starlink is a futurist project which is really what Elon Musk wants to be. For something like Google they wouldn't do this typically because as a company and their leadership they aren't futurists. Google has typically invested in existing viable technologies and forced them into a lower price point to make them more available. Google fiber was introduced 14 years ago when that kind of speed was unheard of. At the ti…

Have you heard of google X? I think they call it the moonshot factory.

What they’re doing tends to be neither ambitious nor successful when you cut through the PR

Re: Ask HN: Did Google/Alphabet ever try to build a Starlink?

#32

Post by fixprix »

fragmede wrote: post #30
fixprix wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> More than half of research and implementation is funded by USG and Tax Payer funded rebates and concessions. Absolutely not. SpaceX/Starlink didn't receive any money from the government. They tried to get a 800 million dollar subsidy, but it was revoked. Even then Starlink has cost a lot more than that to design, deploy and operate.

SpaceX has received something like $20 billion from NASA and the DoD, to launch things into space and resupply the ISS and shit starting like 2008. It's fair to say Starlink has not received any funding from the government since that $800 million was rescinded though, but the line between SpaceX and Starlink's money is a bit fuzzy.

Those weren’t subsidies, like the parent was talking about.

SpaceX provided services for the government at bargain prices. Your tax dollars were very well spent.

Re: Ask HN: Did Google/Alphabet ever try to build a Starlink?

#33

Post by inemesitaffia »

fragmede wrote: post #30
fixprix wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> More than half of research and implementation is funded by USG and Tax Payer funded rebates and concessions. Absolutely not. SpaceX/Starlink didn't receive any money from the government. They tried to get a 800 million dollar subsidy, but it was revoked. Even then Starlink has cost a lot more than that to design, deploy and operate.

SpaceX has received something like $20 billion from NASA and the DoD, to launch things into space and resupply the ISS and shit starting like 2008. It's fair to say Starlink has not received any funding from the government since that $800 million was rescinded though, but the line between SpaceX and Starlink's money is a bit fuzzy.

The fact you have a salary doesn't mean your boss is paying for your kids education.

There's nothing fuzzy about it.

Re: Ask HN: Did Google/Alphabet ever try to build a Starlink?

#34

Post by inemesitaffia »

elmerfud wrote: post #6

Starlink is a futurist project which is really what Elon Musk wants to be. For something like Google they wouldn't do this typically because as a company and their leadership they aren't futurists. Google has typically invested in existing viable technologies and forced them into a lower price point to make them more available. Google fiber was introduced 14 years ago when that kind of speed was unheard of. At the ti…

Google invested in SpaceX specifically for Starlink. I hope the OP sees this.

Re: Ask HN: Did Google/Alphabet ever try to build a Starlink?

#35

Post by govideo »

inemesitaffia wrote: post #34
elmerfud wrote: post #6

Starlink is a futurist project which is really what Elon Musk wants to be. For something like Google they wouldn't do this typically because as a company and their leadership they aren't futurists. Google has typically invested in existing viable technologies and forced them into a lower price point to make them more available. Google fiber was introduced 14 years ago when that kind of speed was unheard of. At the ti…

Google invested in SpaceX specifically for Starlink. I hope the OP sees this.

I didn’t know that. Thanks for the info.

Re: Ask HN: Did Google/Alphabet ever try to build a Starlink?

#36

Post by tgma »

govideo wrote: post #11
elmerfud wrote: post #6

Starlink is a futurist project which is really what Elon Musk wants to be. For something like Google they wouldn't do this typically because as a company and their leadership they aren't futurists. Google has typically invested in existing viable technologies and forced them into a lower price point to make them more available. Google fiber was introduced 14 years ago when that kind of speed was unheard of. At the ti…

your comments remind me of some related, potential factors. I was at Google in the early aughts... definitely had some mega futuristics visions (including later with moonshot). But their CFO (excellent, loved by everyone) had major traditional telco background, so GoogleFi was natural idea, despite it's limited market traction. And you are right -- Google dominant mindset was "ad supported" everything. Separately, Mu…

I think you are referring to Nikesh Arora, who runs Palo Alto Networks, the telco guy. He was the business guy, not the CFO.

I don't think Look etc was seen as competitive to Google Fi at all. If anything, that would have been a distribution channel. It was entirely execution-related. Musk is much more serious at shipping than Google where X was mostly Sergey's playground of hobby projects.

Re: Ask HN: Did Google/Alphabet ever try to build a Starlink?

#37

Post by tgma »

leoh wrote: post #31
more_corn wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you heard of google X? I think they call it the moonshot factory.

What they’re doing tends to be neither ambitious nor successful when you cut through the PR

Ambitious, it was. Successful less so, but still, Waymo came out of X, so not sure that is a fair characterization, but yes, overal, it could have been soooo much more under a Musk-like leadership.

Re: Ask HN: Did Google/Alphabet ever try to build a Starlink?

#38

Post by justinclift »

bwock wrote: post #13
orionblastar wrote: post #3

Rockets are expensive Google should team with Blue Horizons or SpaceX to use their rockets to launch their version of Starlink or rent Starlink's satellites for cheaper to establish their Internet in space.

Meta tried that, but unfortunately their satellite was on one of the few rockets that blew up ...

> their satellite was on one of the few rockets that blew up

So there was some positive aspect to losing that rocket after all. :)

A world where meta has the global satellite network happening instead of current StarLink would likely be a worse one for humanity.

Re: Ask HN: Did Google/Alphabet ever try to build a Starlink?

#39

Post by govideo »

tgma wrote: post #36
govideo wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

your comments remind me of some related, potential factors. I was at Google in the early aughts... definitely had some mega futuristics visions (including later with moonshot). But their CFO (excellent, loved by everyone) had major traditional telco background, so GoogleFi was natural idea, despite it's limited market traction. And you are right -- Google dominant mindset was "ad supported" everything. Separately, Mu…

I think you are referring to Nikesh Arora, who runs Palo Alto Networks, the telco guy. He was the business guy, not the CFO. I don't think Look etc was seen as competitive to Google Fi at all. If anything, that would have been a distribution channel. It was entirely execution-related. Musk is much more serious at shipping than Google where X was mostly Sergey's playground of hobby projects.

Nikesh was a telco guy, too. But I was referring to Patrick Pichette, Goog CFO. Before Google, Patrick was at Bell Canada, as President of Operations and CFO.

Agree with your sentiment about Musk shipping.

Re: Ask HN: Did Google/Alphabet ever try to build a Starlink?

#40

Post by verzali »

The original effort was all the way back in 1997 by a company called Teledesic. But it was essentially abandoned after other satcom constellations like Iridium when bankrupt.

Loon was an interesting attempt. I'm surprised we don't see any one trying to make HAPS (high altitude solar powered drones, essentially) work for communications. In principle they can do the same as satellites but more effectively and at better latency. A good HAPS network over the US could probably offer better than Starlink service for cheaper.

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