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The $8,000 satellites are put into low-earth orbit (160–1,200 km), where as these would require a geosynchronous orbit (35,786 km). The increased mass and orbit
by bombs 16y ago
The $8,000 satellites are put into low-earth orbit (160–1,200 km), where as these would require a geosynchronous orbit (35,786 km). The increased mass and orbit requires a lot more lift, i.e. fuel, i.e. money.
- someone_here 16y agoBut if you had a swarm of them...
- chc 16y agoIf you had a swarm of them, they would still not be viable telecom satellites.
- someone_here 16y agoWhy not?
- chc 16y agoWell, because they'll die in a matter of weeks, for one. Sending up a swarm of them just makes the loss costlier and thus strengthens the case for sending up a proper satellite.
- zitterbewegung 16y agoNot only that a swarm would function like space junk. Imagine NORAD trying to track 100 satellites eventually one will probably hit something important.