Elon Musk Wants Satellites To Swarm The Skies So Earth Can Have Better Internet

On top of building a self-sustaining Martian colony of a million people, Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, has its sights set on supplying high-speed internet coverage to the entire globe. The California-based company, owned by billionaire business magnate and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, filed an application Tuesday with the Federal Communications Commission seeking permission to launch a network of 4,425 satellites ― each the size of a car ― into low Earth orbit. If you’re wondering just how many that is, there are currently 1,419 active satellites orbiting Earth, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.  “The system is designed to provide a wide range of broadband and communications services for residential, commercial, institutional, governmental and professional users worldwide,” the company wrote in a technical document attached to the filing.  Ultimately, the internet project, which was first announced last year and which Musk estimates would cost between $10 and $15 billion, is part of the billionaire’s greater goal of putting people on the red planet.  “This is intended to generate a significant amount of revenue and help fund a city on Mars,” he said of the project during the 2015 opening of SpaceX’s Seattle office. “So in looking in the long term and saying what’s needed to create a city on Mars, well, one thing’s for sure: a lot of money. So we need ...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news