SpaceX will launch 4425 satellites to cover Earth with Internet


11/17/2016

SpaceX has applied for placement 4425 satellites on low-Earth orbit to ensure universal access to the Internet, according to Reuters. The project cost is estimated at approximately 10 billion dollars. This is a part of SpaceX’s program called Satellite Constellation to provide most places on the planet's surface with high-speed Internet access. The satellites will be placed on 83 different near-Earth orbits, at altitudes of 1,110 to 1,325 km. This will be done for those countries who wish to participate in the program.



USAF (Los Angeles AFB)
The project is sponsored by Alphabet, Fidelity Investments and others. They have already contributed about $ 1 billion in the program’s budget of. The first prototype of the satellite is expected to be launched as early as next year. SpaceX plans to fully implement its satellite program by 2020. According to CEO of SpaceX Elon Musk, there is a very large unmet demand for cheap internet services of broadband global area. He expects that his company will be able to handle up to 50% of all transit communication connections traffic, and up to 10% of local internet traffic in cities with high population density.

Not only SpaceX is developing projects to create a network of small satellites to cover surface of the planet with high-speed internet. In the summer of 2016, American company OneWeb announced that it is preparing to build first 700 satellite for broadband Internet in accordance with an earlier announced schedule.

Earlier, another American corporation Boeing announced its desire to establish a mass production of small satellites. The company has applied for a license to build 1396 to 2956 satellites operating in C- and V-diapasons. If Boeing succeeds, it will create a direct competitor to satellites of O3b, oneWeb, SpaceX and other players.

source: cnbc.com