The Starlink project: how will SpaceX's satellite Internet?

For many years, Elon Musk talked about his plans to promote broadband Internet access for the world using constellation (or constellation) of satellites. Constellation Starlink had originally planned to collect 12 000 inexpensive satellites that provide terabyte Internet connection. The first batch of these satellites will be launched in June 2019, and the full network will be deployed in the mid-2020s. Although the outline of the plan was known for a long time, Musk and company, which was founded by him to bring life to space exploration, not in a hurry to share the details. Mark Hadley, a Professor at University College London, has created a model that will show the world what will be like Starlink in the end.

Hadley, Professor of networked systems Department of computer science, used three dimensional game engine for the model is Starlink. It also included information from public FCC filings from SpaceX, but also relied on their knowledge about how computer networks operate.

As explained by Hadley in a recent interview to Digital Trends:

"I wrote the network model before, but I don't usually write them on the game engine. But in this case the ability to visualize the movement of constellations is crucial for understanding what is happening. Everything is much clearer when you see it. At low level of detail for these simulations, the problem is basically a problem of 3D geometry and game engine is very well suited to study such problems."

In November 2016, SpaceX has applied to the FCC for a license to manage non-geostationary constellation of satellites (NGS). According to the application, the plan was to initially place 4425 satellites in orbits from 1100 to 1300 km (680 and 800 miles). Since then, SpaceX has indicated that they will deploy the first 1,600 satellites at an altitude of 550 kilometres, in order to avoid problems with the accumulation of space debris.

According to the online index of objects launched into outer space (OSOidx) maintained by the Office of the United Nations outer space, now orbiting Earth satellites is 4857. According to the original plan SpaceX, the deployment of the Starlink almost triple that number, while the current plan needs to double.

According to the plan Mask, Starlink will send messages through a series of ground stations that will transmit information via radio waves to satellites over them. These satellites will then send messages using lasers, which will be directed into place over the receiver, and the data will then be transmitted down to the desired station using radio waves.

Given the ambitious nature of the project and its technology, Hadley was both intrigued and puzzled about how to operate this satellite network. For example, he wondered whether it was possible to connect thousands of satellites in low earth orbit to the system which will allow Internet traffic to choose the most direct path. In addition, the satellites must be organized in such a way as to minimize the probability of collisions.

Hadley was also interested in network bandwidth, in particular, how it would compare with the more traditional high-speed transmission technology using optical fiber. In theory, Starlink allows you to send messages two times faster than optical fiber because the speed of the signal when passing through the glass in two times less than through space.

According to the models of Hadley, there is only one way to organize this array of satellites to minimize collisions and maximize data transfer, therefore, it is certain that his model corresponds to the estimated model of SpaceX. However, it also indicates that there will be a number of problems:

"overall, I think the concept is quite feasible. But complex, and SpaceX at the same time rests on the edge of technology on several fronts simultaneously. They use wireless connections phased array to control the narrow beams must be above reproach, on the edge of the possible. The technology is well known, but its application in their circumstances would be very difficult. Use a laser connection in the free space between satellites is a relatively unknown technology. The European space Agency had previously shown the possibility of this, but SpaceX will have to track many targets simultaneously and to achieve higher data transmission speeds. I'm sure it can be done, but it may take some time to debug".

Hadley no one is trying to understand the extent of the creation and maintenance of constellations like Starlink. As a minimum, the cost of launching a single satellite will cost tens of millions of dollars and the maintenance cost will be huge based on one satellite. Each satellite Starlink will probably be a few years in orbit, so SpaceX will have to regularly launch new satellites.

HUW Lewis, Professor, University of Southampton, said recently that "to 4425 satellites will have to run the same every five years."

But the existence of such a constellation also means global coverage. Access will be possible from remote villages, ships and other places where traditional infrastructure does not exist. The simulation also shows that there will be more satellites and better coverage at latitudes between 47° and 52° North and the South, which coincidentally are some of the world's largest tradingcenters.

Not only SpaceX will develop space Internet. Telecommunications and aerospace giants like Samsung and Boeing are also sending satellites into orbit, while Google and Facebook to pursue their own plans for using the space of the Internet. Canadian telecommunications company Telesat is also developing a global constellation of Internet satellites, Telesat known as LEO.

These and other service providers will seek to satisfy the increasing demand for high-speed Internet access, which is expected to double by 2020. In the same year, the number of devices connected to IP networks is expected to exceed the world population three times is more than 20 billion devices.

Although to provide the world of space the Internet is difficult, Musk, never shy to take on challenges. In the end, Starlink similar to any other company for which he undertook Musk, like the development of commercially viable electric cars, reusable rockets and spacecraft that can carry passengers to Mars. Who knows? Maybe Starlink will provide the Mask an additional revenue stream that will help Finance construction of the Mars base.

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