SpaceX launches prototypes of the first satellites for the global satellite Internet

Three years ago, it became known about the new project of Ilon Musk to create a global satellite Internet through a mesh network of 12,000 mini-satellites in low near-earth orbit, each of which covers a territory with a radius of 1060 km with a 25-ms delay.

Apparently, the start of an ambitious project will not take long to wait. On this Saturday, February 17, 2018, the launch of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle from the 1360-kilogram Spanish satellite Paz from Vandenberg base in California was appointed . As a "secondary cargo" in the cargo compartment will add two mini-satellites - Microsat 2a and 2b. These are prototype satellites from the SpaceX future global satellite constellation.

On November 15, 2016, SpaceX requested permission to operate its own satellite service in Earth orbit, in which its subsidiary will act as an operator. According to the document, the SpaceX massive satellite network will consist of no more than 4425 satellites (with spare ones up to 4591) in low earth orbit, providing high-speed Internet access services on a global scale in Ku frequency bands (10.7-18 GHz) and Ka (26.5–40 GHz).
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In March 2017, the company filed a new application for another 7,518 satellites, bringing the total to 11,943, not counting the backup ones!

Each satellite is declared weighing 386 kg and measuring 4 × 1.8 × 1.2 m, that is, with an average passenger car, not taking into account the solar panels. The service life is from five to seven years. According to lozga , the Falcon 9 launch vehicle can launch 23 such satellites into orbit. With such a load, you will need at least 70 Falcon 9 launches to output the first 1600 satellites - and at least 520 launches to put the entire group into orbit. For comparison, the company OneWeb plans to display its own 32 satellites on Soyuz.


The cargo bay of the Soyuz with the Sentinel 1B satellite measuring 4 × 3 × 2.5 m, which occupies about 70% of the volume. Falcon 9 cargo compartment is much larger: 13.1 × 5.2 m

Perhaps, thanks to Falcon Heavy, the number of launches can be drastically reduced - and the project will be cheaper. The cost of the project was originally estimated at $ 10 billion. For its implementation it is planned to create a new commercial company, Space Exploration Technologies Corp, among investors are Google and Fidelity Investments. Investors have already invested about $ 1 billion in a new space startup Ilona Mask

Similar plans to create huge groups of mini-satellites are being hatched by SpaceX competitors. So, OneWeb, Telesat and other companies also made new applications. Thus, the total number of satellites planned for launching is fantastic 18,470. For comparison, now only about 1,400 satellites are in orbit around the Earth, including 800 in low orbit.

If the Microsat 2a and 2b test satellites successfully go into orbit, SpaceX engineers will test the operation of the communication equipment in the Ku-band. The documents for the Federal Communications Commission indicated that ground stations are located at SpaceX facilities in Redmond and Brewster, ea. Washington, at the headquarters of the company in Hawthorne, pc. California, at the SpaceX test center in McGregor (TX), in Barounville (TX), at Tesla Motor headquarters in Fremont (California). Three more ground stations will operate in mobile vans. The company is also negotiating with partners about the operation of ground stations in New Zealand and Norway.


Telemetry receiving stations and transmission of control commands in the Ku-band

In addition, the company expects to support the network of ground stations KSAT.

Theoretically, a user in any part of the Earth will be able to connect to the SpaceX satellite network and access a free Network regardless of attempts at censorship by the government of his country. Ilon Musk said that the cost of the terminal will be from $ 100 to $ 300, depending on the type of terminal.

In May 2017, SpaceX announced that the practical implementation of plans to create a satellite network will begin in 2019, and the start of network operation, probably called Starlink , is limited in 2020.