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ok, so 30k satellites from SpaceX, 60k from OneWeb. I anticipate this is just the beginning, other US companies and other countries will want to launch similar
by dharma1 6y ago
ok, so 30k satellites from SpaceX, 60k from OneWeb. I anticipate this is just the beginning, other US companies and other countries will want to launch similar amounts.
What will the impact be when there are 500k+ satellites in LEO, who decides who can launch more?
- rimliu 6y agoI hope not many other countries would want to do so, because many have solved internet problem already.
- sreevisakh 6y agoYou shouldn't judge other countries by western standards. There are a lot of places with poor or non-existent internet. But I fear that the reason other countries will do the same is because of their current infrastructure. Capable countries would be weary of ceding the control of their internet to American companies. We already have a splintered internet with countries and companies addicted to monitoring and controlling information (which would have been impossible in the first place if it was designed following the original principles of creating a mesh, rather than a hierarchy). Why would anyone give up now?
- sreevisakh 6y agoConsidering the commercial pressure, regulatory agencies are likely to just reduce the collision avoidance margins. (I remember reading that this is already happening, just don't have a reference). It's easier to keep government agencies in line compared to conglomerates. But it would be fun when the Kessler syndrome starts. You could imagine that the probability increases when there are more satellites in one layer - especially LEO. I wonder how much all the recent launches affected that probability.