World of Innovation

Satellites, A Modern “Transatlantic Cable"

The Early Successes

After the beginning of the Space Age, satellite communications came into use. First used exclusively by the military, civilian use started with television broadcasts and eventually internet (more on that below). In June of 1967, people around the world gathered at home to watch the first global television broadcast, made possible through early satellite broadcast communications.

The Early Failures

Similar to the multiple attempts needed to lay the first undersea transatlantic cable, satellite internet has suffered its own starts and failures. There were a flurry of startup-type companies in the 1990’s which attempted to provide high speed satellite internet covering the globe. “In 1993 (only 3 years after the code for the World Wide Web was released), Hughes Aircraft Company filed for a license with the FCC to develop SPACEWAY, the first Ka-band satellite, which was later launched by Hughes Network Systems, Inc. in 2005.” (Hughes Net) Many of these companies went bankrupt near the end of the decade.

Iridium

First generation Iridium satellite. (Smithsonian Air & Space Museum)

“Less than a year after commercial service launch, the global communications company files for bankruptcy protection. Although the innovative products and reliable services were technically successful, they were positioned against but could not compete with the smaller, lower-cost cell phones that had overtaken the market during Iridium’s development phases.”

–Iridium Museum

Teledesic

The Teledesic Satellite (Teledesic Website)

“Another factor in Teledesic’s difficulties may have been how land-based wireless networks have developed beyond many expectations. When Teledesic started, cellular networks could transmit only voice, and no one had announced plans to handle data on those voice networks.”

–Sharon Pian Chan, Seattle Times

Today's Successes

In the 2010’s there was a resurgence of interest in satellite internet services. Communications technology had advanced, lowering transmission costs, and new launch providers were entering the market who promised to lower launch costs. This resurgence has seen O3B and OneWeb deploy their networks, and a massive increase in satellite deployments with SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s (planned) Kupiter network. The availability of high speed & low latency satellite internet has provided a significant improvement in connectivity for remote and underserved communities.

O3B

First Generation O3B satellite (Arianespace Press Release)

Kupiter

Optical inter-satellite links enable spacecraft to send data to others in their constellation, in addition to antennas on the ground. (SpaceNews)

OneWeb

OneWeb satellite (OneWeb Website)

Starlink

A set of Starlink satellites separates from the Falcon 9’s upper stage after its April 28 [2021] launch. (SpaceNews)

Environmental Concerns & Impact

New environmental concerns have arisen with the massive increase in satellite counts as we enter the megaconstellation era.

Negative impacts to the night sky and astronomers (solar panels reflect sunlight which can cause streaks in astronomy photos).
Concerns about the impact of reentry debris. Generally most satellite materials burn up upon reentry, but some materials reach the ground.
Few scientific studies have examined the impact of the emissions from the reentering satellites on the upper atmosphere.

The number of satellites in Earth orbit continues to grow:

In 2016, there were~1,200 active satellites in orbit.
By May 1, 2023 there were 7,560 active satellites.
There are mutiple megaconstellations planned which could—at least theoretically—deploy over 400,000 satellites!