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This is probably something that the US (or other major powers) should really think about doing too. Military tactics and capabilities have generally been drive
by runlaszlorun 4y ago
This is probably something that the US (or other major powers) should really think about doing too.
Military tactics and capabilities have generally been driven by communications capabilities. For example, radio communication technology was at least as important as the tank in for the German blitzkrieg. This becomes all the more important with drones, etc.
I just punched up some quick numbers to make sure I’m not talking out of my ass and it looks like getting to the 12,000 satellites Starlink initially stated is approx $3.6 billion in total over the years. This is in comparison to the nearly $2 trillion annual defense budget. Or in comparison, I believe the military spent $15 billion on a software defined radio project that I believe never produced a single product.
Sure, I get it that big government isn’t synonymous with innovation. But relying on the whims of these increasingly questionable billionaires for something like global internet prob isn’t a great idea.
- panick21_ 4y agoThe US is already doing this, and not just once. They are already working with multiple of next gen network providers. And they are also doing their own. The DoD will have access to multiple such constellations and use all of them.
- solarkraft 4y agoDoesn't the US already have strong contracts with SpaceX? ... of course one can question how safe they are given Musk's condition.
- taejavu 4y agoGenuine question, what do you mean by “Musk’s condition”?
- anon291 4y agoThey mean he disagrees with them politically. By American standards, musk is still left wing and just doing what many Americans are either indifferent to (setting Twitter prices) or broadly agree with (his distaste for 'woke'ism).
- skinnymuch 4y agoWhat are you saying? Why make stuff up? Musk isn’t left wing any where. He’s obviously a right winger. He’s always been a right winger outside America. Now he’s finally a right winger here too.
- cbeach 4y agoThey are gaslighting a prominent man because he is from a different political tribe to theirs and they believe that by denigrating him they are defending their own tribe from “the other”
- localplume 4y ago[dead]
- halJordan 4y agoThe US already is exploring setting up its own low Earth orbit broadband constellation, upgrading its traditional satellites, and contracting with commercial entities. https://spacenews.com/dod-satcom-big-money-for-military-satellites-slow-shift-to-commercial-services/ https://spacenews.com/dod-satcom-big-money-for-military-sate...
- sebzim4500 4y agoHard to believe that the DoD could ever do this for as cheap as SpaceX is doing it, probably better to just work with them.