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There is no mention of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite providers - SpaceX, OneWeb, Telesat, etc. SpaceX in particular promises gigabit speeds with minimal (sub

by 58x14 8y ago

There is no mention of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite providers - SpaceX, OneWeb, Telesat, etc. SpaceX in particular promises gigabit speeds with minimal (sub 35ms) latency and global coverage within a decade. Perhaps HAPS systems may play a minor role in providing coverage in developing areas, but will likely be leapfrogged by satellite coverage.

toomuchtodo 8y ago
Facebook might still be salty with the Falcon 9’s rapid unscheduled disassembly on the pad with their communications satellite onboard. “Facebook has expressed disappointment in the loss of its Amos-6 communication satellite. The satellite was supposed to deliver broadband internet access to remote locations in Africa as part of the internet.org initiative. Facebook and satellite provider Eutelsat spent $95 million to license satellite’s Ka-band communications array for five years. The satellite is owned by Israel-based Spacecom.” https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/234845-spacex-falcon-9-explodes-on-launch-pad-destroying-facebook-communication-satellite https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/234845-spacex-falcon-9-e...
- defen 8y ago
  Would launch insurance cover this? I know it exists but I’m not familiar with how it works so maybe someone can correct me.
  - toomuchtodo 8y ago
    Insurance did cover the loss, but by its marine cargo policy, not the launch insurance. That of course doesn’t cover the opportunity cost of Facebook not having its satellite in orbit. https://mobile.twitter.com/pbdes/status/771410879770456064 https://mobile.twitter.com/pbdes/status/771410879770456064 https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/18011/was-amos-6-insured-for-pre-launch-operations https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/18011/was-amos-6-i...
shaklee3 8y ago
There have been news about most of these. In general, they're all late. SpaceX was the last I saw that publicly stated the problem was harder than they expected, and it will be delayed an unknown amount.
- imglorp 8y ago
  They launched a couple of test articles 4 months ago. One might expect they're taking data and iterating. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16438716#16439996 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16438716#16439996
  - shaklee3 8y ago
    They originally said they were launching the constellation back in 2019. New estimates as of yesterday say the first 800 in 2020/2021. Not to mention they have to launch half within 6 years to retain their license from the FCC. And Boeing's Leo looks like it was cancelled/never started: http://spacenews.com/boeing-constellation-stalled-spacex-constellation-progressing/ http://spacenews.com/boeing-constellation-stalled-spacex-con...
jeffreyrogers 8y ago
I have a hard time believing these can compete with wireless for anything but the most remote areas.

by 58x14 8y ago

toomuchtodo 8y ago

Facebook might still be salty with the Falcon 9’s rapid unscheduled disassembly on the pad with their communications satellite onboard. “Facebook has expressed disappointment in the loss of its Amos-6 communication satellite. The satellite was supposed to deliver broadband internet access to remote locations in Africa as part of the internet.org initiative. Facebook and satellite provider Eutelsat spent $95 million to license satellite’s Ka-band communications array for five years. The satellite is owned by Israel-based Spacecom.” https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/234845-spacex-falcon-9-explodes-on-launch-pad-destroying-facebook-communication-satellite https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/234845-spacex-falcon-9-e...

defen 8y ago
Would launch insurance cover this? I know it exists but I’m not familiar with how it works so maybe someone can correct me.
- toomuchtodo 8y ago
  Insurance did cover the loss, but by its marine cargo policy, not the launch insurance. That of course doesn’t cover the opportunity cost of Facebook not having its satellite in orbit. https://mobile.twitter.com/pbdes/status/771410879770456064 https://mobile.twitter.com/pbdes/status/771410879770456064 https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/18011/was-amos-6-insured-for-pre-launch-operations https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/18011/was-amos-6-i...

shaklee3 8y ago

There have been news about most of these. In general, they're all late. SpaceX was the last I saw that publicly stated the problem was harder than they expected, and it will be delayed an unknown amount.

imglorp 8y ago
They launched a couple of test articles 4 months ago. One might expect they're taking data and iterating. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16438716#16439996 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16438716#16439996
- shaklee3 8y ago
  They originally said they were launching the constellation back in 2019. New estimates as of yesterday say the first 800 in 2020/2021. Not to mention they have to launch half within 6 years to retain their license from the FCC. And Boeing's Leo looks like it was cancelled/never started: http://spacenews.com/boeing-constellation-stalled-spacex-constellation-progressing/ http://spacenews.com/boeing-constellation-stalled-spacex-con...

jeffreyrogers 8y ago

I have a hard time believing these can compete with wireless for anything but the most remote areas.