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Starlink is absolutely a way to keep SpaceX launching rockets, but that doesn't make it busywork. It's revolutionary and immensely valuable. And, any theorized
by modeless 4y ago
Starlink is absolutely a way to keep SpaceX launching rockets, but that doesn't make it busywork. It's revolutionary and immensely valuable.
And, any theorized environmental impact has to be compared to the existing natural process of space dust falling into the atmosphere, and measured against the saved costs worldwide of wires and cell towers and travel not needed, especially as capacity increases in the future. Which is practically impossible to measure, but failing to account for difficult-to-measure costs is a classic error people make when evaluating things like this. And of course there's the extra benefits of coverage over oceans and poles and to ships and planes that you can't get any other way.
- palata 4y agoWhat about: "measured against the potential saved [...], before realizing that in the end, it probably won't change anything there"? Just like 5G could potentially reduce the overall consumption, before we realize that actually we use it to the point where it increases them. Or just like any other technology, after all.
- modeless 4y agoStarlink directly competes with wired internet. It also competes directly with cell towers in the fixed wireless business and in mobile service for vehicles. Next year Starlink will be competing for mobile service direct to handsets too. Sure, people will use more bandwidth when they get Starlink, because Starlink provides more bandwidth. But that won't increase demand for Starlink's competitors, all it means is people get better service. I find the idea that Starlink doesn't reduce demand for its direct competitors extremely implausible.