SpaceX plans to deploy satellite Internet network earlier than planned

True, only for the United States, and then not the whole country, but its southern part. On August 30, SpaceX requested the United States Federal Communications Commission to change the orbital motion of its satellites. The change will allow you to deploy the network along three orbital planes instead of one, which "will accelerate the process of satellite deployment and increase the coverage area."



Satellites will be able to provide communications for residents of the southern states and territories of the United States. Perhaps, by the next hurricane season, the company will be able to provide these regions with a stable connection to the Internet. Hurricanes begin in the spring and end on November 30 - every year.



As for the northern states, the Internet will be available for them a little later - after the company launches a launch rocket six times, increasing the number of satellites in orbit. True, in order to accelerate the deployment of the satellite network, you will have to obtain additional permits and licenses.



If everything works out, then the company's satellite network will be able to provide US residents with Internet much earlier than planned and with the minimum possible number of satellites in orbit. In addition to the southern states, the Internet will receive Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands - the American part.



Earlier, the company reported that the Internet will become available only after at least 800 satellites are in orbit. This is the end of 2020 - the beginning of 2021. Now satellite Internet can become available at the beginning of 2020.



As far as you can understand, the company will need no more than 400 satellites to begin providing reliable communications. The network will provide high bandwidth and latency of only 25 ms. But, of course, a lot of work remains to be done, both legal and technical.



According to company representatives, the separation of satellites on three planes will not lead to significant changes in the current plan. So, the number of vehicles in orbit will be the same, the altitude will not change, the angle of inclination, orbital characteristics and the forecast for an increase in the amount of space debris, too.



If the regulator approves the changes, then the company's satellites will rotate in orbits divided into 72 planes instead of 24. It is worth recalling that all SpaceX plans to launch 11,943 satellites into orbit with a height of 550 and a tilt angle of 53 °.



So far, there are 60 SpaceX satellites in orbit around the Earth that are still being tested. The press service of the company, Ilona Mask, recently announced that the current work of the devices is going according to plan. The satellites will be divided into three different orbital planes already at the next launch of launch vehicles with vehicles on board. By the end of 2019, SpaceX plans to make several more launches of the launch vehicle, so that the number of devices in orbit will increase. Nevertheless, company representatives promise that the probability of a collision is practically zero.



In addition to SpaceX, OneWeb, Space Norway, Telesat and Amazon plan to fill the near-Earth space with satellites. OneWeb recently announced that in 2020 it will be able to provide communication services to residents of the Arctic regions.