SpaceX may soon add internet provider on the list of things the company offers.
SpaceX Plans For Fast Worldwide Internet
SpaceX, the company founded by Elon Musk, is best known for its goal to privatize space travel. However, the company has other sideline plans, as well. USA Today reports that SpaceX has asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for approval of its plan to launch into orbit as much as 4,425 satellites.
According to the FCC filings submitted earlier this week, the SpaceX satellites aim to provide worldwide Internet access for professional, commercial, residential, governmental and institutional users. On the first step, the company would launch initially 1,600 satellites. After the first 800 satellites are deployed, SpaceX would turn on the internet service that could cover the United States, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to SpaceX's filings.
SpaceX Project's Tech Details
The SpeceX internet service would encompass virtually all parts of the Earth's surface once fully operational and have the ability to provide global service, according to the filings. The satellites would be in a low-earth orbit, roughly at an altitude of 690-823 miles (1,110-1,325 kilometers) above the earth. They would be much closer to the earth than GPS satellites that are approximately 12,550 miles or 20,200 km away. The SpaceX internet satellites would be, in this regard, similar to weather satellites that are also deployed on into a low-earth orbit.
The SpaceX system could theoretically offer faster speeds by operating closer to earth. The internet satellites would rival or even surpass the broadband speeds available today on cable and fiber optic. According to SpaceX, once fully deployed its system would be able to provide speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second.
According to Ars Technica, SpaceX's plan for internet satellites placed on low orbits would have the benefit of greatly reducing latency. One of the downsides to the current satellite internet systems is the high latency because data packets must travel great distances between satellites and Earth, leading to noticeable delays for internet users.
According to SpaceX, the company expects its own latencies to be between 25 and 35ms. These values are similar to the wired internet services' latencies. According to FCC measurements, current satellite internet service providers have latencies of at least 600ms.
SpaceX satellites are roughly the size of a car and weigh about 850 pounds. No timeline was provided yet for when SpaceX will launch the satellites, but each satellite would have an expected lifespan of 5-7 years. Musk announced last year a $10 billion global broadband delivery plan and this satellite broadband project is part of it. According to The Washington Post, SpaceX announced its internet project, Fidelity and Google have invested a combined $1 billion to launch the program.
Other Similar Projects
Several companies are looking at aerial means of expanding global coverage of high-speed Internet. For instance, Qualcomm executive chairman Paul Jacobs and OpenWeb, a group backed by Virgin Group founder Richard Branson plan to launch by 2018 a global high-speed satellite Internet service. Airplane maker Boeing has been pursuing a similar satellite-based delivery system based on utilizing around 1,400 satellites, while Google's parent company Alphabet has been exploring Internet delivery through balloons and drones.
