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As an amateur, that follows SpaceX from a distance, what makes the W-band so interesting?

by Metus 3y ago

toomuchtodo 3y ago
The first satellite to fly W Band was in 2021. It supports much higher data rates but has atmospheric attenuation issues. This would be the first commercial use of it. It's possible SpaceX is using this to reduce downlink bottlenecks. https://web.archive.org/web/20231012142827/https://re.public.polimi.it/retrieve/handle/11311/820925/407896/The%20challenge%20of%20using%20the%20W%20band%20in%20satellite%20communication_11311-820925_Riva.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20231012142827/https://re.public... https://connectivity.esa.int/news/first-wband-transmission-space https://connectivity.esa.int/news/first-wband-transmission-s... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W_band https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W_band
- lazide 3y ago
  It also has a history of active military use, especially for detecting weapons.
  - toomuchtodo 3y ago
    Excellent callout. Might be a component of Starshield. Hard to say until the RF is active in the wild or FCC filings are public (is it possible SpaceX is filing in Tonga to sidestep FCC public filings on the tech?). Would be wild if this system will be able to provide global airspace radar surveillance to the US DoD with high precision. https://www.space.com/spacex-starshield-satellite-internet-military-starlink https://www.space.com/spacex-starshield-satellite-internet-m... https://www.spacex.com/starshield/ https://www.spacex.com/starshield/
HPsquared 3y ago
I'm a fellow amateur, but I would say it allows higher bandwidth than X-band. It's a higher frequency range, shorter wavelength. Edit: it might be worse for signal propagation through the atmosphere though... https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/Shaping_the_Future/Are_signals_at_W-band_frequencies_good_enough_for_communications https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Techn... Probably a bit like 2.4 GHz vs 5GHz WiFi.
h2odragon 3y ago
The "passive radar" resolution on the WiFi frequencies isn't good enough anymore; the shorter wavelengths will allow imaging of individual cells.

As an amateur, that follows SpaceX from a distance, what makes the W-band so interesting?

by Metus 3y ago

As an amateur, that follows SpaceX from a distance, what makes the W-band so interesting?

The first satellite to fly W Band was in 2021. It supports much higher data rates but has atmospheric attenuation issues. This would be the first commercial use of it. It's possible SpaceX is using this to reduce downlink bottlenecks. https://web.archive.org/web/20231012142827/https://re.public.polimi.it/retrieve/handle/11311/820925/407896/The%20challenge%20of%20using%20the%20W%20band%20in%20satellite%20communication_11311-820925_Riva.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20231012142827/https://re.public... https://connectivity.esa.int/news/first-wband-transmission-space https://connectivity.esa.int/news/first-wband-transmission-s... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W_band https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W_band

lazide 3y ago
It also has a history of active military use, especially for detecting weapons.
- toomuchtodo 3y ago
  Excellent callout. Might be a component of Starshield. Hard to say until the RF is active in the wild or FCC filings are public (is it possible SpaceX is filing in Tonga to sidestep FCC public filings on the tech?). Would be wild if this system will be able to provide global airspace radar surveillance to the US DoD with high precision. https://www.space.com/spacex-starshield-satellite-internet-military-starlink https://www.space.com/spacex-starshield-satellite-internet-m... https://www.spacex.com/starshield/ https://www.spacex.com/starshield/

HPsquared 3y ago

I'm a fellow amateur, but I would say it allows higher bandwidth than X-band. It's a higher frequency range, shorter wavelength. Edit: it might be worse for signal propagation through the atmosphere though... https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/Shaping_the_Future/Are_signals_at_W-band_frequencies_good_enough_for_communications https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Techn... Probably a bit like 2.4 GHz vs 5GHz WiFi.

h2odragon 3y ago

The "passive radar" resolution on the WiFi frequencies isn't good enough anymore; the shorter wavelengths will allow imaging of individual cells.