TeraWave Satellite Communications Network

Post by thomascountz » Wed, Jan 21, 2026, 9:35 PM UTC

WarmWash wrote: post #49

embedding-shape wrote: post #16

Assuming all these companies are interested in launching their own constellations of ~10K-100K satellites into L/MEO, how many companies could actually do this before cascading collisions starts becoming a real worry?

Make the US land area ~20% larger. Randomly place 50,000 shoe boxes up and down the entire eastern seaboard. Randomly place 50,000 shoe boxes up and down the entire western seaboard. Send them in straight lines towards the other side of the country. See if any collide. Almost certainly none of them will. Edit: They will almost certainly For reference, if you placed all 50k boxes next to each other on the same beach,…

Post by wmf » Wed, Jan 21, 2026, 9:37 PM UTC

embedding-shape wrote: post #16

Assuming all these companies are interested in launching their own constellations of ~10K-100K satellites into L/MEO, how many companies could actually do this before cascading collisions starts becoming a real worry?

Post by dboreham » Wed, Jan 21, 2026, 9:41 PM UTC

miyuru wrote: post #3

0xbeefcab wrote: post #2

Interesting there is an optical networking option for end users (claims ~6TBps). Maybe a really dumb question, but how would the end user's ground station maintain connectivity during cloudy weather? Do they have cloud-penetrating lasers from the MEO satellites? Would that interfere with aircraft, astronomy tools, etc? Some short googling says they have lasers that clear a path for a data carrying beam, but that seem…

Some info from NASA optical communication page. "Even Earth’s atmosphere interferes with optical communications. Clouds and mist can interrupt a laser. A solution to this is building multiple ground stations, which are telescopes on Earth that receive infrared waves. If it’s cloudy at one station, the waves can be redirected to a different ground station. With more ground stations, the network can be more flexible du…

Post by doublesocket » Wed, Jan 21, 2026, 9:50 PM UTC

mlmonkey wrote: post #52

paulb73 wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

SEA parking garage? Unfamiliar with this size reference.

Here, "SEA" = "Seattle Tacoma International Airport" in the state of Washington, USA.

Post by jacquesm » Wed, Jan 21, 2026, 9:51 PM UTC

dboreham wrote: post #55

miyuru wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some info from NASA optical communication page. "Even Earth’s atmosphere interferes with optical communications. Clouds and mist can interrupt a laser. A solution to this is building multiple ground stations, which are telescopes on Earth that receive infrared waves. If it’s cloudy at one station, the waves can be redirected to a different ground station. With more ground stations, the network can be more flexible du…

So it'll never work in Scotland.