SpaceX 'StarLink' satellite service [Starlink & Starshield at war]

[Dr Mordrid]

This is a huge project, up to 12,000 ~900 kg satellites satellites, which has garnered support from members of Congress and in Telecommunications committee hearings. Part of the idea is to provide low cost broadband internet service to underserviced areas, not just in the US but worldwide. The rest xinclures orbital data centers, etc. for both civilian and government use. Initial launchers will be by Falcon 9 and Falcon heavy, launching about 20 to 30 satellites at a time.

Subsequent high bulk launches would need to be handled by the upcoming ~9 meter core super-heavy rocket Musk is expected to announce the end of this month at the IAC2017 conference in Australia. The anticipated specs for this rocket make it an equivalent to the NASA Nova which never flew. A beast more powerful than Saturn V, the space launch system, or anything else that has ever flown. The Mars Rockets little brother.

First, the trademark filings

STARLINK

STARLINK's trademarked was recently registered,

http://www.trademarkia.com/starlink-87576978.html

http://www.trademarkia.com/starlink-87576974.html

Florida Today story

http://www.floridatoday.com/story/tech/science/space/2017/09/19/spacex-files-trademark-starlink-satellite-broadband-internet-constellation-elon-musk/680714001/

[Dr Mordrid]

Morgan Stanley's evaluation says that the StarLink satellite constellation could increase SpaceX's valuation to $50 billion from its current $21 billion. Estimates of the revenues run up as high as $30 billion a year.

Sounds like they'll have enough money for BFR/BFS variants to fly point to point Earth transportation, the Moon and for Mars.

SpaceX's Patricia Cooper testimony before Congress re: the StarLink constellation

https://twitter.com/pbdes/status/923210044036059137

Cooper @SpaceX to Senate zings #OneWeb @greg_wyler: Our constellation mainly US parts & US - not Russian- launched. (OneWeb uses Soyuz.)

https://twitter.com/pbdes/status/923206069131841537

Cooper @SpaceX to Senate: 2 test sats launch in coming mnths; then full constellation launches 2019-24; service starts at 800 sats ~ 2020-21

https://twitter.com/pbdes/status/923201764589006848

Cooper tells Senate the @spaceX constellation will have 20 sats visible at any time everywhere over US territory.

https://twitter.com/pbdes/status/923213452822360071

Cooper @SpaceX: We are not seeking outside investment for the satellite constellation.

https://twitter.com/CHenry_SN/status/923208692132188160

SpaceX's Cooper: SpaceX is designing our satellites to be able to maneuver thousands of times in lifetime.


Full written statement (PDF)

Link....

[Dr Mordrid]

FCC permit for the Starlink demo-sats granted. They should go up just after the first of the year.

​​​​​​​NGSO = Non-GeoStationary Orbit (commsat)

Station Locations

(1) MOBILE: NGSO - Inclination 97.4deg, 514-1125 km circular
(2) MOBILE: NGSO - Inclination 97.4deg, 514-1125 km circular
(3) MOBILE: NGSO - Inclination 97.4deg, 514-1125 km circular
(4) MOBILE: NGSO - Inclination 97.4deg, 514-1125 km circular
(5) Redmond (KING), WA - NL 47-40-02; WL 122-05-40
(6) Hawthorne (LOS ANGELES), CA - NL 33-55-15; WL 118-19-41
(7) Fremont (ALAMEDA), CA - NL 37-29-36; WL 121-56-38
(8) McGregor (MCLENNAN), TX - NL 31-24-30; WL 97-27-48
(9) Brownsville (CAMERON), TX - NL 25-59-27; WL 97-10-56
(10) Redmond (KING), WA - NL 47-40-02; WL 122-05-40
(11) MOBILE: TV1 - USA: within 150 km of Locations 5-9
(12) MOBILE: TV2 - USA: within 150 km of Locations 5-9
(13) MOBILE: TV3 - USA: within 150 km of Locations 5-9
(14) Brewster (OKANOGAN), WA - NL 48-08-50; WL 119-41-49

Full PDF....

[Dr Mordrid]

And here we go....

Peter B. de Selding
@pbdes
Spanish govt Paz civil/military radar sat, built by @AirbusSpace, is readied for airlift from Spain to Calif/VAFB for Jan 30 @SpaceX mission. 1,400-kg Paz to launch w/ 2 SpaceX microsats that will demo future broadband constellation & provide ITU registration (BIU).
6:55 AM - Dec 19, 2017

[Dr Mordrid]

FCC approves SpaceX's StarLink constellation.

Seems to indicate the MicroSat-A/B test satellites worked as expected.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/29/fcc-...-services.html

FCC authorizes Elon Musk's SpaceX to provide broadband satellite services

* This marks the first time the FCC has allowed a U.S.-licensed satellite constellation to provide broadband services through low-Earth orbit satellites.

* SpaceX's proposed satellite system, dubbed "Starlink," includes 4,425 satellites with frequencies in the Ka and Ku bands.



The two demonstration satellites SpaceX launched on Feb. 22 on a Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday approved an application by Elon Musk's SpaceX, allowing the aerospace company to provide broadband services using satellites in the U.S. and worldwide.

"With this action, the Commission takes another step to increase high-speed broadband availability and competition in the United States," the FCC said in a statement.

This marks the first time the FCC has allowed a U.S.-licensed satellite constellation to provide broadband services through low-Earth orbit satellites.
>
>.

[Dr Mordrid]

Fidelity Investments just invested $500 million in SpaceX for the StarLink deployment.

[Dr Mordrid]

More info on the Fidelity investments,

Fund: Fidelity Investments (major player)
Series: I
Amount: $510 million
Estimated share price: $165±
Valuation: $27.4 billion (up ≥25% vs. 2017)

In 2015 Fidelity invested $100 million shortly after the StarLink announcement. Google added another $900 million.

[Dr Mordrid]

Nitant Bhartia @nitantbhartia
How’s the global internet project coming along?
|
Elon Musk ✔ @elonmusk
Pretty good. TinTin A & B are both closing the link to ground w phased array at high bandwidth, low latency (25 ms). Good enough to play fast response video games.
3:07 PM - May 26, 2018
|
G C @SmileSimplify
Will TinTin A & B be the only demo units Starlink deploys before start of full <satellite> production & deployment? Or will there be a few more? Do you have an (aspirational) timeline for when Starlink would begin commercial service?
|
Elon Musk ✔ @elonmusk
Will do another rev before final design
8:19 PM - May 26, 2018

[Dr Mordrid]

A while back Aviation Week published an article about the US Air Force Research Laboratory plans to test using these satellite constellations for military comms,

http://m.aviationweek.com/space/could-f-16s-battle-talk-commercial-space-internet

Now SpaceX has filed for a StarLink license mod for testing comms to "tactical aircraft" conformal antennas with the government. (READ: US Air Force Research Labratory, for military aircraft and ground comms)

From the PDFs

>
In this application, SpaceX seeks to modify the experimental authorization for Microsat-2a and -2b in order to reflect additional test activities undertaken with the federal government. The tests are designed to (1) demonstrate the ability to transmit and receive information between two ground sites (Ground-to-Ground) and between the ground and an airborne aircraft (Ground-to-Air) using Microsat-2a and -2b, and (2) communicate using an additional antenna at its Redmond, Washington test site. Nothing about the operation of and transmissions from the Microsat-2a or -2b satellites will change under this modification. The only change will be the addition of two new types of earth stations, one of which will transmit uplink signals to the Microsat satellites first from the ground and later from a moving aircraft...
>
>-------------
>
For this effort, SpaceX is working with a manufacturer of conformal antennas for tactical aircraft, which will provide antennas required for aircraft testing. This will assist SpaceX in analyzing the data link performance and installation options for user terminals with conformal arrays. To prepare for the Ground-to-Air testing, SpaceX will first test the SpaceX modem integrated with the inertially stabilized electronically steered array technology as part of the ground testing. This ground testing is expected to take place near other planned testing at SpaceXs Redmond, WA facilities. It will include interfacing the modem RF and antenna steering interfaces to the antennas. SpaceX will not begin Ground-to-Air integration and testing until it has performed sufficient characterization of the airborne antenna configuration with representative motion profiles. SpaceX will perform a series of tests with the integrated airborne prototype terminal that is similar to the tests contemplated with other fixed earth stations under its current authorization. These include antenna static angles from 0 to 40 degrees from boresight, and then varying motion for representative roll and pitch rates of a high performance aircraft. For the Ground-to-Airscenario, an antenna will be built and integrated onto an aircraft. The antenna manufacturer is designing a custom installation kit consisting of mechanical plates for the low-profile antennas and fairings reducing wind drag in order to limit the impact to the aircraft for this installation. The antennas will interface with SpaceX test equipment to form a user terminal for the demonstration. The existing antenna design meets the required transmit effective isotropic radiated power and receive gain over temperature when using four transmit subarrays and six receive subarrays. SpaceX anticipates that the Ground-to-Air testing will require four to six weeks to complete. Air operations will consist of repeated short-duration sorties with flight operation during the satellites test pass, contained within a relatively small operational area in close proximity to a currently authorized test site. Specifically, consistent with SpaceXs existing experimental authorization, the aircraft will operate no more than 150 km from the SpaceX broadband ground station in Redmond,
>

[Dr Mordrid]

FCC approves StarLink's 7,518 satellite VLEO constellation

Washington Post...

Elon Musks SpaceX wins FCC approval to put 7,000 Starlink Internet satellites into orbit

Federal regulators are allowing entrepreneur Elon Musk to use an expanded range of wireless airwaves for his plan to deliver cheap, high-speed Internet access - from space.

The decision Thursday by the Federal Communications Commission paves the way for SpaceX to build its full network of about 12,000 satellites intended to blanket the earth in wireless Internet access. Proponents say next-generation satellite Internet technology could help developing countries and rural areas connect to economic opportunities currently out of reach for them because they lack competitive Internet access.

"I'm excited to see what these services might promise and what these proposed constellations have to offer," said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. "Our approach to these applications reflects this commission's fundamental approach to encourage the private sector to invest and to innovate and allow market forces to deliver value to American consumers."
>

[Dr Mordrid]

SpaceX has spun off SpaceX Services Inc. to run the StarLink system.

DoD and SpaceX testing the two test satellites for military aircraft comms. Kinda hard to ASAT ~12,000 redundant birds.

Dozens of early (v1) satellites will launch on Falcon 9 & Falcon Heavy, later (v2) satellites will bulk launch on Starship.

Alan Boyle ✔ @b0yle (GeekWire)
.@SpaceX's Hans Koenigsmann says first set of #Starlink satellites (beyond last year's prototypes) will launch this year, but isn't able to say anything more than that. #CST201
4:53 PM - Feb 12, 2019

https://twitter.com/b0yle/status/1095440746566610945

[Dr Mordrid]

SpaceX StarLink joins the SeattleIX Internet Exchange Point, meaning connected to the Internet at 10Gbps. This will be one of many local ground connections, and the bandwidth will grow - a lot.

Reg: AS14593

https://www.seattleix.net

https://ipinfo.io/AS14593

@seattleix
Welcome SpaceX - Starlink (AS14593) at 10G.

https://twitter.com/seattleix/status...94337349029889

[Dr Mordrid]

It begins...

SpaceX has filed for FCC licenses in support of a May-June Falcon 9 B5 launch from SLC-40, with recovery on ASDS Of Course I Still Love You about 600km to the NE.

NASASpaceFlight.com reports this is the first of many StarLink deployment launches.

800 satellites to begin service, and a total of 4,425 satellites to fill out the LEO phase. Add another 7,518 satellites for the VLEO phase.

[Dr Mordrid]

Confirmation: StarLink deployment begins NET June...

@Chris B - NSF @NASASpaceflight

SpaceX open media accreditation for the "Starlink mission" from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral. "The launch is targeted for no earlier than May. "

Confirms an earlier story from Micheal Baylor (@nextspaceflight) that it had entered the manifest: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2019...cexs-manifest/ …
4:22 PM - Apr 5, 2019

https://twitter.com/nasaspaceflight/status/1114262117744566272

[Dr Mordrid]

Recently SpaceX did the second funding round in the last few nonths for STARLINK and Starship/Super Heavy. Together they should bank another $1 billion by years end.

In more news; SpaceX STARLINK statement,

Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved SpaceXs request to fly more than 1,500 of its Starlink satellites at an altitude of 550 kilometers. Additional information on the approval can be found here, and the following statement can be attributed to Gwynne Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer at SpaceX:

"This approval underscores the FCCs confidence in SpaceX's plans to deploy its next-generation satellite constellation and connect people around the world with reliable and affordable broadband service. Starlink production is well underway, and the first group of satellites have already arrived at the launch site for processing."

SpaceX is targeting no earlier than May for launch of a Starlink mission.

Last year, SpaceX became the first U.S.-based company to be licensed by the FCC to operate a NGSO constellation of more than 11,000 satellites.

Earlier this year, SpaceX submitted an application to operate 1 million user terminals as well as its first six gateways to provide the necessary communications links back from the satellites to the global Internet. SpaceX intends to install sufficient gateway sites in the U.S. and around the world to ensure that the Starlink satellites have a visible gateway earth station with which they can communicate from all parts of their orbits.