SpaceX wants to beam Internet down to Earth. Here’s how it will start.

in #news7 years ago

From The Washington Post


SpaceX is preparing to hit another orbital milestone with the launch of a pair of experimental satellites on Sunday that are designed to beam an ultrafast, lag-free Internet connection down to Earth.

The test satellites, dubbed Microsat-2a and Microsat-2b, are a part of a years-long plan by chief executive Elon Musk to create a fleet of orbiting devices to blanket the globe in wireless broadband connectivity. SpaceX ultimately intends to put about 12,000 broadband satellites in low Earth orbit, and Sunday’s payload will mark the company’s first attempt at realizing the dream. The initial satellites in the network are expected to come online next year.

Satellite broadband is already available. But it’s slow, expensive and not really accessible to the masses. The goal of SpaceX and almost a dozen other companies is to deliver fast, reliable Internet access to virtually everyone.

Contemporary satellite broadband is mostly used by companies and organizations that require Internet access in remote environments or in specific scenarios, not residential connectivity. First-responders to a natural disaster, for example, can spend hundreds of dollars a day for a 5 Mbps connection, which they use to coordinate relief efforts. The shipping and aviation industries have also been known to use conventional satellite data services.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2018/02/16/spacex-wants-to-beam-internet-down-to-earth-heres-how-itll-start/?utm_term=.04e430377c7a

Facebook, SpaceX or Google? Who will blanket the Earth in connectivity first?

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Elon is a crazy, possibly android or alien, genius... but how could satellite-based internet possibly be lag free? No matter what protocol you use the signal has to travel a pretty big distance...

People have the right to get free internet access everywhere on the planet.

Hi, I found some acronyms/abbreviations in this post. This is how they expand:

AcronymExplanation
FCCFederal Communications Commission
Please leave an up-vote if you find this comment usefull.

This would be a real milestone in the history of the Internet. The internet has been monopolized by some companies here and cheap satellite Internet would be a great solution to the problem.

Amazing post

Internet is the part and parcel of your ..Modern life is not possible continuous without internet.

Interesting post.
IMO the only force equal to people's quest for freedom is other people's quest to control. Connectivity is a crucial resource in the battle today.
Good news here!

Tesla stocks are ranging at new highs in its market. If he succeeds at testing these launches, I am pretty sure stocks will burst through recent resistance levels. Look into companies that invest in space X like Google for investment opportunities. I love the speed at which mankind is heading. Great Post!!!!!!