4 ms·

I thought that laser connectivity wasn't going to be available until V2 of the satellite went in to operation/orbit, and that's not going to happen until SpaceX

I thought that laser connectivity wasn't going to be available until V2 of the satellite went in to operation/orbit, and that's not going to happen until SpaceX gets Starship or the modified Falcon off the ground?

wmf 4y ago
No, they've been promising laser links with (IIRC) v1.5 for a while.
_joel 4y ago
I very much doubt v2 will be on F9, they're much bigger so the 47 they can fly now will drop significantly (if it can even fit in the extended fairing, I'm not sure it can). They've got a 'pez dispenser' already worked out too for starship, just need to light that candle now. Ramped up testing again last week so I'm hoping it'll be soon (said that 12 months ago)
- guardiangod 4y ago
  No need to doubt. https://spacenews.com/spacex-adds-falcon-9-back-to-second-gen-starlink-launch-plan/ https://spacenews.com/spacex-adds-falcon-9-back-to-second-ge...
  - _joel 4y ago
    I mean, I know they've been taking the financial hit for the starlink launches as they ramp up the subscriber base, but this seems really ineffective.
mlindner 4y ago
No, they've been on all v1.5 satellites that have been launching for a little over a year now.