Satellite Mega-Constellations

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The impetus behind satellite mega-constellations is the goal to provide every corner of the planet

with high-speed internet. Satellite mega-constellations are the solution to banish spotty Wi-Fi signals

and cellular connections. While enabling global connectivity for nearly anyone on the planet, these

satellites mega-constellations will also litter space and dramatically increase the number of satellites

in orbit very quickly. Without a set of international rules and regulations governing how industry

leaders such as SpaceX, OneWeb, Amazon, and Telesat operate, this technological breakthrough

could result in CHAOS.


Satellites that can beam a broadband connection to internet terminals. As long as these terminals
have a clear view of the sky, they can deliver internet to any nearby devices. SpaceX alone wants to
send more than 4.5 times more satellites into orbit this decade than humans have ever launched
since Sputnik.

These mega-constellations are feasible because we have learned how to build smaller satellites and
launch them more cheaply. During the space shuttle era, launching a satellite into space cost roughly
$24,800 per pound. A small communications satellite that weighed four tons cost nearly $200 million
to fly up.

Today a SpaceX Starlink satellite weighs about 500 pounds (227 kilograms). Reusable architecture
and cheaper manufacturing mean we can strap dozens of them onto rockets to greatly lower the
cost; a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch today costs about $1,240 per pound.


The first 120 Starlink satellites went up last year, and the company planned to launch batches of 60
every two weeks starting in January 2020. OneWeb will launch over 30 satellites later this year. We
could soon see thousands of satellites working in tandem to supply internet access for even the
poorest and most remote populations on the planet.

But that’s only if things work out. Some researchers are livid because they fear these objects will
disrupt astronomy research. Worse is the prospect of a collision that could cascade into a
catastrophe of millions of pieces of space debris, making satellite services and future space
exploration next to impossible. Starlink’s near-miss with an ESA weather satellite in September was a
jolting reminder that the world is woefully unprepared to manage this much orbital traffic. What
happens with these mega-constellations this decade will define the future of orbital space.



These constellations, the Satellite Constellations 1 (SATCON1) report from the National
Science Foundation said, could fundamentally change the appearance of Earth’s night
sky. In so doing, they would both change the night sky’s aesthetic for the general public,
and hamper astronomical observations of the universe.



References-
https://www.technologyreview.com/technology/satellite-mega-constellations/

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