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SpaceX wants to launch 100k more Starlink satellites for 100x the bandwidth

zdnet.com

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Re: SpaceX wants to launch 100k more Starlink satellites for 100x the bandwidth

#951

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why didn't governments try making it? The US has tons of spy satellites, why not make some for the folks paying taxes? Why do we have to sell our firstborns (data) to Google for maps etc?

Once you notice the pattern of how these companies are started you will see that there is a hidden hand of government behind much of what we think is an independent, market driven, capitalistic enterprise. Whether it’s Facebook or Oracle or Palantir or SpaceX it’s all the same. Heck even the founding of Silicon Valley itself can be viewed to be government driven. The bottom line is national security is not going to b…

This is a totally accurate post. It’s amazing how many free market zealots aren’t aware of the government foundation under SV. They think they sprout all wealth creation on their own because they are just that brilliant.

Re: SpaceX wants to launch 100k more Starlink satellites for 100x the bandwidth

#952

Earlier quoted context omitted.

SpaceX has spent under $30 billion for Starlink. That's less than maintenance opex for mobile networks operators in the US alone.

And how many people each serve?

What does it matter?

>Something tells me we could have covered the planet in fibre for the price of these Starlink satellites.

This isn't true. In fact, the subsidies spent on Fiber in the US, if providently used won't be enough.

Re: SpaceX wants to launch 100k more Starlink satellites for 100x the bandwidth

#954

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We don't need to have space literally transformed into junkyards to make progress, and there is nothing going wrong with going a lower pace if it means reduced impact on the rest of society.

Every year that you delay Africa and south asia getting to western levels of development equals tens of thousands of under-5 deaths that could have been avoided.

Maybe they should work on that then.

Re: SpaceX wants to launch 100k more Starlink satellites for 100x the bandwidth

#955

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Granted “we” are billionaires. Not only you didn’t get the point, but you still hold on to your delusions: > life for our kin will only be better. Right? In this subscription economy? Where you have just limited time to watch the movie you loved? You can’t afford to rent the house you loved let alone buy it? (previous generations could afford) the list goes on and on. Maybe stop spreading lies and see things more obj…

Being objective doesn't mean laser focusing on the negatives. For instance: > Where you have just limited time to watch the movie you loved? You know how many movies the average peasant watched in the 1800s? 0. The closest equivalent was live theatre and that was an expensive luxury. You'd also likely get see one or more of your children die to diseases that are trivially treatable or preventable today.

We are talking about handful amount of billionaire who manipulate masses, not Industrial Revolution and technological advancements.

The issues you enumerated were very well addressed in the socialist USSR.

Re: SpaceX wants to launch 100k more Starlink satellites for 100x the bandwidth

#956
post #946
post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The price difference for mobile satellite service is rather substantial though.

It might come down with more satellites and more breaking up service into different levels. Imagine a cheap emergency-text-message level of service (like apple has, or maybe the garmin inreach type service). Then a compete-with-cellular cheap version for limited cellular service. Then a car service (premium-connectivity+satellite). then on up to residential broadband. also, with more satellites might come the ability…

More satellites increases the cost, not the reach, and so, not the customer base. I've worked in internet for 20+ years. The problem with "cheap emergency-text-message level of service" is not that it's not possible. It already exists (really Iridium offers that with a tiny modem that plugs into your cell phone). It's like observing that doing internet for your village or neighborhood is pretty easy and cheap, especially with cooperation from city hall, which is often a possibility. It's easy to beat incumbent telcos locally at internet services.

The argument incumbents make is that once that happens, the government will be responsible, first for paying for the entirety of telecom infrastructure outside of well-populated areas. Second governments need infrastructure wherever there is a border, or even the tiniest of villages, and getting dsl service in a border post will often mean paying for 100km of cable laying (or at the very least microwave towers).

And so governments make these services impossible at any scale through legislation. So either SpaceX pushes these through with "help" from Trump, or this doesn't happen.

There is a reason everybody RAN out of the global satellite data business in 2010 (and government bail outs mean that those people are still in business at $0 valuation). Satellite launches do not pay for the income that the market can provide. Then you calculate with Elon's numbers and well, frankly you get the usual outcome with Elon. "Yes, you improved the economics ... but not to the point of profitability, can you do another factor of about 2? No? Sorry then". And, yes, I realize that the problem with that factor of 2 is that it's not physically possible (technically SpaceX could get another 30% or so cost reduction with an RDE engine). That is why SpaceX owns Starlink. It's value is negative (meaning it would be stuck running a loss without access to SpaceX investors)

Re: SpaceX wants to launch 100k more Starlink satellites for 100x the bandwidth

#957

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I'd consider this public pollution caused by extremely greedy billionaires ruining the planet." This is such a weird framing, as if Starlink was a frivolous project for some rich person's fun. There is genuine demand for orbital ISP from people, including people in poorer countries whom a better connectivity may help improve their incomes and lives, where an alternative is basically impossible (you won't get optic f…

But the government doesn’t have to allow a monopoly to exist. SpaceX wouldn’t exist without government contracts and support. The government should cultivate an ecosystem not a monopoly. In my YC batch there were rocket companies. We should see more.

But the origin of SpaceX is not one of a government-cultivated monopoly. There were more than 200 space startups so far, I believe, and the vast majority of those simply went belly up. SpaceX was once an absolutely unremarkable element of this large set and they almost went belly up as well - their fourth (and first successful ) launch of Falcon 1 was literally the last one that they had money for. Even 5 years into their existence, no one would be able to foretell that it will be them and not anyone else who eventually becomes the behemoth is its.

If someone really fits the description of a quasi-monopoly systematically supported by the government for decades, it is Boeing and ULA in general. They get/got all the cost-plus contracts that were the real cash cow. SpaceX only got fixed-cost contracts.

I rooted for a lot of companies, my favorite was Armadillo Aeronautics by John Carmack, because I admire Carmack. But space seems to be genuinely hard.

Re: SpaceX wants to launch 100k more Starlink satellites for 100x the bandwidth

#958

When Starlink first became available here in poor-ish Central-EU, I was excited. Then, only months later, but after years of planning: EU funding brought fiber to my farm area, at ~$25/900mbps 10ms. While my story is just n=1, I don't understand the huge upside for Starlink outside of Africa or India, where they have However, I am dumb, and very open to be convinced.

> I don't understand the huge upside for Starlink outside of Africa or India, where they have India is rapidly expanding fiber internet connectivity, even in rural areas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharat_Broadband_Network In addition, 4G/5G coverage is extensive: https://www.ookla.com/articles/india-mobile-connectivity-1h2... See India in this 5G global coverage map: https://www.ookla.com/articles/5g-map-2026 The…

Starlink is going to be panopticon surveillance satellites long term - I hope I'm wrong.

Re: SpaceX wants to launch 100k more Starlink satellites for 100x the bandwidth

#960

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Starlink has its uses, but I really don't understand those who get starlink while living in built-up areas. Starlink is just a re-skin of the "Wireless optic" thing a lot of ISPs are pushing because they would prefer not having to lay cables and instead have everyone use 5g routers. Of course, the service isn't comparable, but regular people don't necessarily know it. Fiberoptic is still king, and probably will be fo…

I don’t see why it would be different in 100 years. The fibre might be slightly better (hollow core fibre will increase speed from 2/3c to nearly c), but, absent new physics, it’s hard to imagine anything beating _that_. Maybe neutrino comms for long distance? :)

I remember 10-15 years ago The Gathering, Norways biggest LAN party, had a wifi sponsor, and there were talks about how soon we don't even need wired internet, because wifi is getting so good with wifi 6 and all. Crazy thing to claim about a sports hall with 5000 computers and even more mobile devices.

I can't say we are much closer to that goal now :)

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