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This reeks of SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar), and we know Starshield sats carry custom sensor payloads that normal Starlinks don't have.
by ACCount37 1y ago
This reeks of SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar), and we know Starshield sats carry custom sensor payloads that normal Starlinks don't have.
- krona 1y ago> SAR https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic-aperture_radar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic-aperture_radar?
- ACCount37 1y agoYeah, I just updated my own comment too for those not familiar with the term.
- Zigurd 1y agoI've been a pretty harsh critic of Starlink. I don't think it's going to compete well against terrestrial wireless links, specifically 5G FWA. But if they can actually do something interesting with distributed SAR in a large constellation, that's one of those national security breakthroughs that's worth every penny.
- stuff4ben 1y ago> national security breakthroughs Can you explain what you mean by this? Still not sure how SAR would fit in here...
- robszumski 1y agoIf a giant chunk of the constellation can act as a truly huge antenna, what can you get from that? Super high resolution? Seek/dwell time on a target that is effectively infinite?
- mdhb 1y agoAnd we are going to put that in the hands of Elon musk? Are you fucking kidding me?
- next_xibalba 1y agoIs there a viable alternative? SpaceX is the only launch provider and satellite operator that is progressing at a rapid pace and driving costs down.
- JKCalhoun 1y ago> Is there a viable alternative? Always a good answer. ;-)
- Zigurd 1y ago2/3 of Falcon 9 launches are for Starlink. No outside revenue. SpaceX continues to require new investment rounds. So the whole "driving costs down" thing might only work until investors expect some actual free cash flow. There have been 11 test launches of starship. You might've missed the last one because it didn't do anything new, except shedding parts and exploding less. There's a pretty good chance that program will never beat the cost of Falcon Heavy, or that the technology, like multiple refueling flights to get beyond low Earth orbit, is ever made workable.
- wongarsu 1y agoThe last Starship launch was indeed unspectacular because it didn't try pushing the envelope particularly hard. The previous launches were much more precarious, with many fire balls. But I'm a strong believer in iterative development. It's bad PR when everyone can see every failed prototype, but the "design it once, simulate, and make sure the first prototype flies without issues" boxes you in to conservative design decisions.
- ACCount37 1y agoThey did push Starship hard enough on reentry that, reportedly, it ended up with multiple holes burned through the metal hull and into the tanks. It survived that - did that entire "simulated landing" burn and all.
- inemesitaffia 1y agoSearch "NRO you can't hide"
- ACCount37 1y agoThe issue with terrestrial wireless links is that you just aren't going to cover every inch of Earth's surface with terrestrial wireless links. At the same time: coverage comes cheap to Starlink. Which makes it perfect for serving areas no one wants to serve. Such as rural areas, anything outside the largest cities in underdeveloped countries, the open ocean, and so it goes.
- Zigurd 1y agoPlaces only Starllink can reach are an insufficient and shrinking TAM. The only places a terrestrial wireless provider doesn't want to serve are places that can't afford FWA even though it costs less.
- greenavocado 1y agoUntil the next war
- Incipient 1y agoStarlink has plenty of good use cases: - camper van coverage across whole countries/continents - rural farms/communities - global coverage for convenience (eg business travellers) - huge military use ...just depends if it's economically viable
- pavel_lishin 1y ago> Places only Starllink can reach are an insufficient and shrinking TAM. And yet, people live in those places, and you telling them that they're not economically worth serving isn't really solving their problem.
- lokar 1y agoPretending that they are worth economically serving with current tech or even tech that could be available soon does not help them either.
- 1y ago
- mensetmanusman 1y agoI’m surprised there are technologists that are harsh critics of low earth orbit satellites.
- JumpCrisscross 1y ago> if they can actually do something interesting with distributed SAR in a large constellation, that's one of those national security breakthroughs that's worth every penny ...could comprehensive SAR over the Earth's oceans uncloak submerged submarines when they're under power?
- yencabulator 1y agoRadio doesn't penetrate water well, for practical purposes almost at all.
- martinky24 1y agoWhat suggests SAR over downlink...?
- ACCount37 1y agoWeird band for a downlink, and runs continuously and indiscriminately? It being detectable over Canada suggesting the latter. If downlink - what receives it?
- ls612 1y agoStarshield with SAR that could support a missile lock would be a completely transformative capability in any pacific war scenario.
- cameldrv 1y agoYeah and the E-7 was recently cancelled. This is what Hegseth said to Congress a few months ago: “The answer is yes. I would. I would file this entire discussion under difficult choices that we have to make. But you know, the E-7, in particular, is sort of late, more expensive and ‘gold plated,’ and so filling the gap, and then shifting to space-based ISR [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance] is a portion of how we think we can do it best, considering all the challenges" I wonder if Starshield is the platform that is supposed to replace the E-3.
- dzhiurgis 1y agoThe fact we speak about it already sometimes suggests it has been already deployed, sometimes for many decades. Can it (a SAR sat doing a flyover) somehow be detected from ground?