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If they send them farther out does that increase their lifespan due to thinner atmosphere? Why target 1 year instead of five year?
by typon 3y ago
If they send them farther out does that increase their lifespan due to thinner atmosphere? Why target 1 year instead of five year?
- bryanlarsen 3y agoYes, higher orbits would have increased lifespan, a little bit longer for satellites under control and likely decades longer for satellites out of control. I think the primary motivation for lower orbits would be compatibility with cellular telephones. While they have gotten it to work at current altitudes, it must be a lot easier at lower ones. Other reasons could be decreased latency, less overlap/interference between coverage areas, reduced chance of Kessler syndrome, decreased power usage for transmission & reception.
- aednichols 3y agoHaving them as low as possible improves latency, which is a big selling point of Starlink over incumbent geostationary services like Hughesnet.