Amazon's Satellite Project Will Cost Billions, Jeff Bezos Says

Post by pinewurst » Fri, Jun 07, 2019, 3:09 AM UTC

martythemaniak wrote: post #22

onedognight wrote: post #11

This is a business that Apple should get into as well. They have the capital and Phones+internet would have great vertical synergy.

What they don't have is the rockets. SpaceX has cheap reusable Falcon 9s. Blue Origin is aiming to have a cheap reusable New Glenn in 2021. Apple would have to go with much more expensive traditional launchers.

Post by Eyes » Fri, Jun 07, 2019, 3:16 AM UTC

aerophilic wrote: post #13

zaroth wrote: post #3

I assume there are a finite number of these swarms that we can deploy in LEO, both in economic terms as well as dedicating space and spectrum? I’ve heard of three companies now that want to achieve this. I’m not sure if there’s anything particularly distinctive about one versus the other, other than SpaceX is the only one with the proven launch capacity to bring that much mass to orbit. I have a lot less faith in Bez…

Yes, there is a finite limit, but the number is much higher than you would suppose. First, in terms of spectrum, realistically all the satellites in a constellation can (and should) share a small number of relatively narrow frequencies. You can almost imagine it ma be the equivalent of one more cell tower in your area per constellation (at worse). In terms of space, astronomy aside, the actual space these satellites…

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Jun 07, 2019, 3:22 AM UTC

Eyes wrote: post #43

aerophilic wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, there is a finite limit, but the number is much higher than you would suppose. First, in terms of spectrum, realistically all the satellites in a constellation can (and should) share a small number of relatively narrow frequencies. You can almost imagine it ma be the equivalent of one more cell tower in your area per constellation (at worse). In terms of space, astronomy aside, the actual space these satellites…

> As a perspective if you hold your thumb up to the sky, the distance “covered up” by your thumb (if I did my math right) is approximately 480 miles What distance? The distance immediately behind my thumb is about an inch. The distance way back at the edge of the universe is millions of light years

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Jun 07, 2019, 3:23 AM UTC

mft_ wrote: post #10

plotteddancer16 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Amazon shareholders do not earn a dividend. SpaceX is not public, but rather would enrich a much smaller set of investors (and particularly Musk). What’s your point?

Aren't SpaceX creating Starlink to generate funds to support other projects; in particular, their plans to create the rockets and infrastructure to ultimately colonise Mars? i.e. not (primarily) to "enrich a much smaller set of investors (and particularly Musk)" ?

Post by staunch » Fri, Jun 07, 2019, 3:25 AM UTC

dragosmocrii wrote: post #39

bamboozled wrote: post #36

Seriously, let’s spend billions in renewable investment and government lobbying to fix the climate crisis. Wow, this is getting silly. Broadband internet is just not a fundamental human need, a habitable planet is.

Sadly, I think there's no incentive for doing well for the planet to get business value. Maybe when we'll run out of clean drinking water, or land, or clean air, then traditional businesses will invest in R&D and come up with ideas and products to sell you to alleviate the pain.. that's the the goal of a business. what we need is more philantropists. Jeff Bezos is not a philanthropist. Bill Gates on the other hand -…