SpaceX's Starlink division now has the first 60 satellites in orbit, and its website just went live. The constellation is planned to contain 12,000 satellites, but will cover the Northern US near...
SpaceX's Starlink division now has the first 60 satellites in orbit, and its website just went live. The constellation is planned to contain 12,000 satellites, but will cover the Northern US near the end of year with only ~360 satellites. I am still not sure of the business model, but this is going to be very cool to watch expand.
Starlink is targeted to offer service in the Northern U.S. and Canadian latitudes after six launches, rapidly expanding to global coverage of the populated world after an expected 24 launches. SpaceX is targeting two to six Starlink launches by the end of this year.
edit: here are some images extracted from starlink.com which show the super innovative design: https://imgur.com/a/ofUy56l
As someone who owns rural property where my only internet option is incredibly bad GEO satellite providers, I can't wait for this to become a reality. Is there somewhere you can sign up to be...
As someone who owns rural property where my only internet option is incredibly bad GEO satellite providers, I can't wait for this to become a reality. Is there somewhere you can sign up to be notified when service is actually available? This is one of the few things in the world that I'm already so sold on that I would consider preordering, but I don't see a way to do so.
It probably won't be available for quite a while, unfortunately. It is very exciting though. I hope it comes to Canada. We have probably the worst ISPs in the western world and this would help...
It probably won't be available for quite a while, unfortunately. It is very exciting though. I hope it comes to Canada. We have probably the worst ISPs in the western world and this would help solve a lot of issues.
Not only extremely cool from a tech perspective, but politically quite interesting too. Suddenly people have a viable option to connect to the internet using relatively open infrastructure even in...
Not only extremely cool from a tech perspective, but politically quite interesting too. Suddenly people have a viable option to connect to the internet using relatively open infrastructure even in nations with sophisticated monitoring and blocking - and to build local community connectivity that bypasses national restrictions. I think the second-order effects here may well be significant.
Super cool video of the 60 sats over the Netherlands last night: https://vimeo.com/338361997 I hope the krypton thrusters work to get them into proper placement!
Very cool, thanks. I watched the launch stream last night and was a little disappointed that it ended so quickly after the satellites deployed and we didn't get to see more. I guess they'll...
Very cool, thanks. I watched the launch stream last night and was a little disappointed that it ended so quickly after the satellites deployed and we didn't get to see more. I guess they'll probably still be quite bright even once they're in position then?
Well the final second engine cut-off was at 273 miles (440 kilometers), while the target orbit for this lower layer is 550km. So I think they will be ~25% less bright at that altitude, and I...
I guess they'll probably still be quite bright even once they're in position then?
Well the final second engine cut-off was at 273 miles (440 kilometers), while the target orbit for this lower layer is 550km. So I think they will be ~25% less bright at that altitude, and I imagine the most noticeable during twilight: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_flare.
But it is still clearly the brightest thing in the sky. Honestly it makes me a bit worried along the same lines as drone deliveries. They are both great ideas, until you have drone noise over your head 24/7 just to get coffee delivered, or the night sky is changed in a major way just because terrestrial ISPs are too greedy.
Yeah, me too. It would be really nice of them to do something like republic.co with a tiny slice. I would throw 1-5% of my savings into it as a high-risk 20 year investment, for sure.
Yeah, me too. It would be really nice of them to do something like republic.co with a tiny slice. I would throw 1-5% of my savings into it as a high-risk 20 year investment, for sure.
SpaceX's Starlink division now has the first 60 satellites in orbit, and its website just went live. The constellation is planned to contain 12,000 satellites, but will cover the Northern US near the end of year with only ~360 satellites. I am still not sure of the business model, but this is going to be very cool to watch expand.
edit: here are some images extracted from starlink.com which show the super innovative design: https://imgur.com/a/ofUy56l
As someone who owns rural property where my only internet option is incredibly bad GEO satellite providers, I can't wait for this to become a reality. Is there somewhere you can sign up to be notified when service is actually available? This is one of the few things in the world that I'm already so sold on that I would consider preordering, but I don't see a way to do so.
It probably won't be available for quite a while, unfortunately. It is very exciting though. I hope it comes to Canada. We have probably the worst ISPs in the western world and this would help solve a lot of issues.
Well our ISPs and mobile carriers are the same. Our Telecom industry is just quite simply broken.
Not only extremely cool from a tech perspective, but politically quite interesting too. Suddenly people have a viable option to connect to the internet using relatively open infrastructure even in nations with sophisticated monitoring and blocking - and to build local community connectivity that bypasses national restrictions. I think the second-order effects here may well be significant.
Super cool video of the 60 sats over the Netherlands last night: https://vimeo.com/338361997
I hope the krypton thrusters work to get them into proper placement!
Very cool, thanks. I watched the launch stream last night and was a little disappointed that it ended so quickly after the satellites deployed and we didn't get to see more. I guess they'll probably still be quite bright even once they're in position then?
Well the final second engine cut-off was at 273 miles (440 kilometers), while the target orbit for this lower layer is 550km. So I think they will be ~25% less bright at that altitude, and I imagine the most noticeable during twilight: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_flare.
Here is another one from Poland: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUw5M8RWK_s
Those videos are zoomed. Here is one that is not zoomed: https://twitter.com/Marcin_Loboz/status/1132070509246652421
But it is still clearly the brightest thing in the sky. Honestly it makes me a bit worried along the same lines as drone deliveries. They are both great ideas, until you have drone noise over your head 24/7 just to get coffee delivered, or the night sky is changed in a major way just because terrestrial ISPs are too greedy.
God I wish I could invest in SpaceX. They're going to dominate.
Yeah, me too. It would be really nice of them to do something like republic.co with a tiny slice. I would throw 1-5% of my savings into it as a high-risk 20 year investment, for sure.