High Seas cellphone internet (Elon Musk)

[Symphony]

just saw this release - maybe it is old news but it was new news (gnu gnus) to me!

Elon Musk's satellites to experiment with low earth orbit internet -

On Feb. 22, 2018, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket that carried the first two prototype Starlink satellites for Musk's Internet service. Should Musk and SpaceX be successful with their plan and launch their Starlink satellites into low earth orbit, the result will not only be excellent 1 gigabit Internet connectivity for people in the developing world, it will also provide cellphone-style Internet to ocean voyagers.

The two small satellites were successfully deployed and will be tested in coming months. The plan is to make regular launches of Starlink satellites in the next few years and populate the constellation with more than 4,425 satellites. The system will reportedly be operational by 2024.

[Pelagic]

It is only a matter of time when our smart phones will have mid ocean coverage....
I like this Thuraya concept.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/turn-yo...tellite-phone/

[StuM]

I just hope that Elon's timeline projections are a lot more accurate than his projections for Tesla car production

[GTom]

I have to find a better excuse for being unavailable

[ArmyDaveNY]

This is pretty neat if they actually get it up and running. The only possible issue is latency. It will work great for sending and receiving documents, e-mails etc. and for downloading things such as video. Real time video and streaming may be an issue however. There has been a lot of work done trying to fix this but to the best of my knowledge, the jury is still out on the success.

[Captain Puget]

Just because it rings, you do not have to answer 😉

[CarstenWL]

The two small satellites were successfully deployed and will be tested in coming months. The plan is to make regular launches of Starlink satellites in the next few years and populate the constellation with more than 4,425 satellites. The system will reportedly be operational by 2024.

... with two satellites per 'rocket' this would be 2,213 launches
... until 2024 = 7 years = 2,555 days

2,213 launches in 2,555 days ...

N E V E R ... (even if you double, triple or whatever the number of 'rockets')

Carsten

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by CarstenWL

... with two satellites per 'rocket' this would be 2,213 launches
... until 2024 = 7 years = 2,555 days

2,213 launches in 2,555 days ...

N E V E R ... (even if you double, triple or whatever the number of 'rockets')

Carsten

It's the same production schedule as the Teslas. What could possibly go wrong?

[LoudMusic]

Originally Posted by CarstenWL

... with two satellites per 'rocket' this would be 2,213 launches
... until 2024 = 7 years = 2,555 days

2,213 launches in 2,555 days ...

N E V E R ... (even if you double, triple or whatever the number of 'rockets')

Carsten

Who says the production satellites will only be two per rocket? They'll probably be more like 100 per rocket. These two are just a test to get actual numbers on functionality.

[Symphony]

Ha! Tesla production schedules, yes!

well, I am always considering the future of HF radio. If satellite cell data or wifi data will work in even some latitudes it would be a game changer for handling everything with portable or handheld devices instead of large hardware installations.

Currently my InReach device paired with my iPhone gives me unlimited text/email and OCENS weather. The Tecsun 880 can download WEFAX to the laptop. very simple hardware.

[LoudMusic]

Originally Posted by ArmyDaveNY

This is pretty neat if they actually get it up and running. The only possible issue is latency. It will work great for sending and receiving documents, e-mails etc. and for downloading things such as video. Real time video and streaming may be an issue however. There has been a lot of work done trying to fix this but to the best of my knowledge, the jury is still out on the success.

From my experience with VSAT on yachts where the latency is >650ms communicating with satellites that are >12,000 miles above Earth, the latency is a PAIN, but functional. Telephone calls have obvious latency but it's completely usable. Streaming isn't a problem - you just need a 10 second buffer. Video conferencing is the same as a telephone call with more bandwidth.

You just have to adjust expectations in order to handle the latency. It's like using terrestrial comms to the other side of the world. We've been doing that for over 100 years.

And that's all with VSAT. These Starlink satellites are supposed to be a fraction of the altitude, which will bring the latency way down. I'm really excited about it for all the many uses it has. Not the least of which is kicking cable and DSL internet providers square in their monopolistic nuts.

[suenodelmar]

Low-cost satellite communication may be available sooner. Sky and Space Global, a British company, expects to have 400 shoebox-sized mini satellites launched by 2020. If successful, this system will offer voice and text communication, but not broadband connectivity, at costs comparable to current land-based cellular services for users between 15 degrees north and 15 degrees south latitudes.

The low-cost mini satellites bringing mobile to the world - BBC News

[Pelagic]

I guess all the kids now growing up on cruising yachts, will be immersed in social media instead of enjoying a beautiful sunset at Sea!
....Sigh!

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by GTom

I have to find a better excuse for being unavailable

One word........... SCUBA.

[Midnight Son]

They keep that launch schedule for satelites, they will have to put lots of armour plating on the rockets, just to get through the debris field.