Elon Musk's SpaceX Wants Approval To Beam Internet From Space
Elon Musk is one step closer to bringing the Internet to space.
The billionaire entrepreneur’s private space-travel company, SpaceX, has requested permission from the Federal Communications Commission to start testing satellites that would beam down Internet from space.
The company filed a license application to “deploy a large constellation of satellites for low-latency, worldwide, high capacity Internet service,” according to an FCC filing. An FCC spokesman declined further comment.
Phil Larson, a SpaceX spokesman, confirmed the firm filed a request with the International Telecommunication Union, the United Nations agency that regulates satellite orbital slots and broadcast frequencies.
The satellite venture -- which, if successful, could pit SpaceX against Comcast, AT&T and other rival Internet service providers -- began last January when the company opened a new facility in Seattle. SpaceX aims to launch hundreds of satellites into orbit around the Earth -- circling the planet at about 750 miles above the surface, far closer than the typical communications satellites that soar at altitudes of 22,000 miles. That would allow the company to speed up data flows and deliver high-speed Internet to the more than 3 billion people who still have shoddy access to the Web.
In January, Musk said it could take five years to complete the first generation of satellites, and up to 15 years to reach full capacity. It’s unclear how far along the project has come since then.
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Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news