Forum Discussion
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite internet
I don't see this happening anytime soon.
LEO's are going to need frequent replacement compared to GEO's so that equals more cost and more space junk. The demise of the Space Shuttle as originally envisioned will have doomed this project. A payload bay full of these every 4 to 6 weeks may have worked.
Looks more like a topic for a Popular Science "we will soon have flying cars and jet backpacks for everyone" type of article.
So... APPARENTLY OneWeb plans on building 15 of these satellites... PER WEEK. IF they could launch all 15 EVERY WEEK it would take less than one year to launch the entire network. Looks like they are planning on only 648 satellites (the 4000+ was Musks idea...)
To be honest, if they can mass produce these that quickly and keep them updated so congestion isn't too much a concern... Then costs might be affordable.... But that was the same thought with Satellite Phones and Satellite TV too, look at how much those cost anymore.
With that said, the F.C.C. has given OneWeb approval for the spectrum they want here in the states and they plan to start launches with in the next year and have service available in 2019... Appears service will start with Alaska and the most remote regions of North America, then progress to the rest of the world over a period of years.
Makes me wonder why they want the infrastructure to take so long to get into place if they are claiming they can build 15 of these suckers a week.
