Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

zdnet.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

881–890 of 1001 posts

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

#881

Post by digitaltrees »

newsoftheday wrote: post #771
digitaltrees wrote: post #379

I have started to see what I think are star link satellites at night on walks with my kids. It actually makes me sad to see that on person owns the night sky and is changing the literal stars my kids will grow up with. It feels different when it’s the government that theoretically represents people but when it’s one person that feels truly depressing.

I'm the opposite, I feel more depressed when the government controls our lives instead of hard working people who've proven themselves in the marketplace.

The marketplace is distributed. A monopoly is not. You’re confusing the two and ignoring the harm the winner of market competition does when they escape competition.

You’re also ignoring that a government is accountable to people. A corporation is not.

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

#882

Post by electriclove »

digitaltrees wrote: post #879
Oarch wrote: post #496

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if (this part specifically) is a solvable problem? Is it their altitude that causes them to shine? Perhaps finally a commercial use for Vantablack?

It’s not the visual that bothers me. It’s the evidence of a monopoly that is being built that will dominate humanity for the benefit of literally one person

Lucky for us that he cares about humanity But others have similar ambitions and are making progress.

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

#883

Post by rayiner »

DemocracyFTW2 wrote: post #855
Dig1t wrote: post #851

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple announced AirPower and then didn’t end up shipping it. In a “functioning economy” should Tim Cook be indicted for misleading investors? Obviously not. The only decent argument for the criminal case you are talking about would be if it was an outright lie with no intent whatsoever to deliver on the promise, but there’s obviously a huge effort to deliver on the robotaxi promise. Just ask any of the thousands of e…

> disagreement with the founder’s politics Are you talking about the guy who did a double-down Nazi salute to celebrate Trump winning the election?

[flagged]

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

#884

Post by JumpinJack_Cash »

Dig1t wrote: post #851
tw04 wrote: post #835

SpaceX needs to claim there’s a need for 100k more satellites to prop up unreasonable valuations. This is no different than Elon claiming Tesla owners would be renting out their cars as FSD taxis while at work (next year, we swear guys!!!) In a functioning economy he’d have faced criminal charges for knowingly misleading investors and customers about a dozen times over by now. It’s one thing to set lofty goals intern…

Apple announced AirPower and then didn’t end up shipping it. In a “functioning economy” should Tim Cook be indicted for misleading investors? Obviously not. The only decent argument for the criminal case you are talking about would be if it was an outright lie with no intent whatsoever to deliver on the promise, but there’s obviously a huge effort to deliver on the robotaxi promise. Just ask any of the thousands of e…

> > Apple announced AirPower and then didn’t end up shipping it. In a “functioning economy” should Tim Cook be indicted for misleading investors? Obviously not.

Apple doesn't have a history of having to pump the stock to survive. Also it's a pretty ubiquitous company and they delivered a pretty life changing product for all of us.

On the other hand Tesla has a history of lying constantly and also life and customer experience is pretty much the same in the sectors of the economy that they attacked , as a matter of fact a 2002 Mercedes (the year in which Tesla was founded) is better in many departments compared to a 2026 Tesla

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

#885

Post by digitaltrees »

csallen wrote: post #411
dietr1ch wrote: post #397

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To anyone thinking that 18m² isn't that big for how large the space is, please recall how bright reflective things shine during the day when you hit the right angle.

A gigantic source of light in the sky that lights up a part of the Earth and is too bright to look at is... the sun. I think we're all used to the sun.

If one person owned the sun and could charge all humanity for access to its light then maybe that would be a relevant example

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

#887

Post by digitaltrees »

Dig1t wrote: post #853
digitaltrees wrote: post #379

I have started to see what I think are star link satellites at night on walks with my kids. It actually makes me sad to see that on person owns the night sky and is changing the literal stars my kids will grow up with. It feels different when it’s the government that theoretically represents people but when it’s one person that feels truly depressing.

This is incredibly regressive thinking. Any technology or human progress changes the world around us. Do you lament the construction of new buildings or roads because they change the natural landscape? Would you prefer we never explore space or build anything new? IMO it’s a marvel to look up at the sky and see man made objects flying through the sky, it’s incredibly inspiring to see the great feats of engineering th…

I am a progressive. But ownership of the commons is something that requires careful policy decisions. The same applies to utilities, the open ocean, wireless spectrum.

We shouldn’t allow monopolies in the name of progress or the monopolistic rent seeking will stifle progress.

The government could have absolutely done all of this and more if there was any commitment to the investment. Instead nasa had its budget gutted.

My kids won’t have a future with any opportunity if resources are so concentrated that their bargaining power can’t have any effect in the world.

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

#888

Post by rayiner »

rglullis wrote: post #778
tgsovlerkhgsel wrote: post #578

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Change is inevitable. I love seeing artificial objects in space, because it shows that we, humanity, are finally getting there. Elon doesn't own space, he just happens to be the one who is currently best at making it reachable. There is plenty of space for everyone else, and others will get there, eventually. I could eat myself up with envy over the money he's making from it... or be glad that it's at least someone g…

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.

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

#889

Post by pstuart »

odie5533 wrote: post #844
tw04 wrote: post #835

SpaceX needs to claim there’s a need for 100k more satellites to prop up unreasonable valuations. This is no different than Elon claiming Tesla owners would be renting out their cars as FSD taxis while at work (next year, we swear guys!!!) In a functioning economy he’d have faced criminal charges for knowingly misleading investors and customers about a dozen times over by now. It’s one thing to set lofty goals intern…

I believe he said Teslas are meant to appreciate in value too because you get income from renting them out when you're not using your car. They'll just drive around and work as a taxi while you're not using it. He's more sci-fi author than CEO at this point.

> He's more sci-fi author than CEO at this point.

L. Ron Hubbard comes to mind.

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

#890

Post by MengerSponge »

Y-bar wrote: post #608
meindnoch wrote: post #550

How much does this cost? Something tells me we could have covered the planet in fibre for the price of these Starlink satellites.

And: What are the externalities of this? The current 10700 satellites are expected to have a lifespan of about five years. So, averaging these burning up in the upper atmosphere there will be one deorbit ever four hour. If I were to ask my relevant government regulator if I were allowed to burn the equivalent of a few electric cars every day without capturing/scrubbing the pollution they would laugh me out of the roo…

It's horrifying. I don't remember acid rain or CFCs and the hole in the ozone layer, but I'm good enough at pattern recognition to see it playing out again.

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024JD04...

Post reply on HN