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Note that these are going into a low orbit that requires regular boosting, otherwise they’ll fall back into the atmosphere within a couple of years at most. The
by mikeash 7y ago
Note that these are going into a low orbit that requires regular boosting, otherwise they’ll fall back into the atmosphere within a couple of years at most. There’s no long term space junk threat.
- hef19898 7y agoBut quite some operating cost!
- mikeash 7y agoThey’ll have thrusters to keep them aloft longer than they would otherwise last. But the whole constellation will have to be refreshed every five to ten years. The whole project depends on cheap launches, which fortunately SpaceX is able to provide.
- hef19898 7y agoIt was an off hand remark considering the cost of replacement satellites and the running costs to keep the existing ones up there and running. Launches are only a part of the equation.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- s_y_n_t_a_x 7y agoThe pro is you can refresh the tech in those satellites allowing more bandwidth or adding more lasers to connect to more satellites. The cost of satellites will only go down as they make more, and it's relatively cheap for them to launch them.