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Flat pack design for one. Cheaper propulsion. Laser links for truly global coverage. Massively lower price per bit. Around $1 per GB (comparable to Jetpack like

Flat pack design for one. Cheaper propulsion. Laser links for truly global coverage. Massively lower price per bit. Around $1 per GB (comparable to Jetpack like plans for 4G servics) for the most expensive public Best effort plan There's no FCC subsidy for it. And the fact it's still running means it wasn't necessary for deployment. It will just make profits come faster. Or losses stop faster The loss on the phased arrays is much bigger since there was a commitment to $2400 for the first million.(Ukraine is a big source of losses if the Feds haven't fully paid up) But consider what other phased arrays sell for

shaklee3 3y ago
Flat design is irrelevant and is not a differentiator. Cheaper propulsion is speculation unless you have data to prove otherwise. ISL has been around for a long time (see iridium). SpaceX achieved higher rates, though. They won $900M in RDOF funding (based on a lie), which is still in limbo because of the poor performance. It's likely they will still get some or all of that since not all $900M was tied to the same speed tier. There is absolutely no proof this can be sustained forever, just like there isn't for Uber or Lyft not being profitable. Other phased arrays with their specs do not sell for much more. They're small, low G/T, low EIRP, "cheap" units.
- inemesitaffia 3y ago
  I remember looking for a Ku Band Phased array for a large drone. Cheapest I could find from a reputable company was $16k. Kymeta dishes in Ukraine that replaced starlink go for $25k minimum Not one dime of RDOF was paid. And knowing how the last RDOF equivalent worked they had every right to apply and get awarded (delivery is dubious though except in less densely populated areas). They don't seem to fake speed tests too unlike the US Telco they are partnering with for direct to cell. The flat design means way more sats per launch. And that means you're mass rather than volume limited. It's a big difference maker since theres no central stand. Check out the SpaceX OneWeb launch as a comparison. Iridium links are microwave. SpaceX is a laser. The tech is licensed. It's not just bit rate. And I don't think you can do 10 to 20 up on Iridium. is it possible? Is it possible at say Viasat Maritime prices? Iridium to carry drone video and/or Netflix at $10k to $20k p/m? Is it financially viable? Time will tell. Some space economist claims SpaceX twisted the arm of the Feds for over a billion in Ukraine. I don't believe him
- inemesitaffia 3y ago
  On propulsion:::: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=36552.1200 https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=36552.1200 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5MEPWsdo-UE https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5MEPWsdo-UE https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/36165/why-will-starlink-satellites-use-krypton-instead-of-xenon-for-electric-propulsio https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/36165/why-will-sta... I don't know if it's cheaper because it's something im not particularly familiar with. But there's people who think SpaceX isn't launching (internal costs) for less than 60 million anyway and reuse isn't saving money

shaklee3 3y ago

Flat design is irrelevant and is not a differentiator. Cheaper propulsion is speculation unless you have data to prove otherwise. ISL has been around for a long time (see iridium). SpaceX achieved higher rates, though. They won $900M in RDOF funding (based on a lie), which is still in limbo because of the poor performance. It's likely they will still get some or all of that since not all $900M was tied to the same speed tier. There is absolutely no proof this can be sustained forever, just like there isn't for Uber or Lyft not being profitable. Other phased arrays with their specs do not sell for much more. They're small, low G/T, low EIRP, "cheap" units.

inemesitaffia 3y ago
I remember looking for a Ku Band Phased array for a large drone. Cheapest I could find from a reputable company was $16k. Kymeta dishes in Ukraine that replaced starlink go for $25k minimum Not one dime of RDOF was paid. And knowing how the last RDOF equivalent worked they had every right to apply and get awarded (delivery is dubious though except in less densely populated areas). They don't seem to fake speed tests too unlike the US Telco they are partnering with for direct to cell. The flat design means way more sats per launch. And that means you're mass rather than volume limited. It's a big difference maker since theres no central stand. Check out the SpaceX OneWeb launch as a comparison. Iridium links are microwave. SpaceX is a laser. The tech is licensed. It's not just bit rate. And I don't think you can do 10 to 20 up on Iridium. is it possible? Is it possible at say Viasat Maritime prices? Iridium to carry drone video and/or Netflix at $10k to $20k p/m? Is it financially viable? Time will tell. Some space economist claims SpaceX twisted the arm of the Feds for over a billion in Ukraine. I don't believe him
inemesitaffia 3y ago
On propulsion:::: https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=36552.1200 https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=36552.1200 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5MEPWsdo-UE https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5MEPWsdo-UE https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/36165/why-will-starlink-satellites-use-krypton-instead-of-xenon-for-electric-propulsio https://space.stackexchange.com/questions/36165/why-will-sta... I don't know if it's cheaper because it's something im not particularly familiar with. But there's people who think SpaceX isn't launching (internal costs) for less than 60 million anyway and reuse isn't saving money