Could the dream of a satellite telecommunications revolution become reality?

Space X’s launch of 60 Starlink satellites on May 24 that will operate at an altitude of 550 kilometers, changes Elon Musk’s project: this is no longer about business visibility, but visibility plain and simple. Dozens of people have posted photographs and videos of the convoy of 60 satellites moving across the night sky that have angered astronomers unhappy at the interference to their observations caused by these bright dots of light.

The astronomers’ problems have only just begun: Space X, which has been developing its reusable rockets for years, managing to reduce the cost of these types of launch, aims to put 12,000 such satellites in orbit in three concentric layers around the planet, 1,600 of them at 550 km, some 2,800 at 1,150 km, and a further 7,500 more just 340 km away. Starwatchers are going to have a much tougher time watching the night sky.

Starlink’s strategy behind putting so many satellites in orbit around our planet is clear: to provide global internet coverage to even the remotest areas at a much lower cost than thought possible. Starlink satellites have been designed to optimize not just cost, but their environmental impact: at the end of their lives, they use a propulsion system to exit their orbit and failing that they will simply fall to earth and be burned in the atmosphere within five years, a substantially shorter period than traditional satellites. In addition to transmitting data, the satellite constellation can be used for military, scientific or exploration purposes.

Providing internet access via satellite is not a new idea: a number of companies have been doing so for many years. But new technology now means satellites that it is possible to offer low latency broadband at competitive prices. Doubters who said that satellites would never challenge traditional internet access may have to reconsider their arguments.

Starlink is not the only company working on internet access from space: Telesat LEO, SES O3B, Iridium Next, LeoSat, Samsung, OneWeb or Amazon are also in the race, but Musk’s company has a considerable advantage over its competitors: the first launch put 60 satellites in orbit in a single operation, a capacity will increase. There are plans to put more than 18,000 satellites in orbit, around ten times the number in operation so far.

Commercial operations are planned to begin next year and the company forecasts revenue of around $30 billion by 2025, along with a further $5 billion from its launch business. This could be talking about the greatest disruption facing the telecommunications sector since the mass popularization of the internet: large technology companies making multi-million dollar investments to break into the internet access business as part of a space-age revolution that could put the traditional players out of business. Ad astra…

(En espa?ol, aquí)

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