Quote from: Robotbeat on 12/02/2013 04:12 am]You should do research before making such assertions.http://www.iridium.com/about/IridiumNEXT/Technology.aspxYou can already get 132kbps connections using the current, already-existing Iridium constellation. The next-gen network will be capable of 64mbps connections.You are correct, I am way behind the times on this stuff.Iridium figured out a way to gang together a bunch of 2.4 kbps channels that no one was using to enable a quasi-broadband system, basically using all of the capacity of a comsat flying over the ocean for one connection (this is only offered for maritime users, since the ocean is not really filled with many standard Iridium users).The IridiumNEXT broadband is new to me. This uses the Proteus II bus, so there isn't a lot of power for many users at that baud rate, so by ganging together multiple user circuits, they can provide quasi-broadband for a small number of users. The Ka-band product simply uses the feeder link bandwidth for even fewer users, since once that is in use, the comsat loses the capability of communicating with a terrestrial gateway.Having said that, no flavor of Iridium will be useful for a space platform in LEO, since the satellites are so low that their propagation cones are too small at orbital altitudes for much communication. There might be enough signal time for short bursts of data that could support a constellation like Planet Labs in very low LEO, but not enough for a commercial space platform.
]You should do research before making such assertions.http://www.iridium.com/about/IridiumNEXT/Technology.aspxYou can already get 132kbps connections using the current, already-existing Iridium constellation. The next-gen network will be capable of 64mbps connections.
With a two BA330 module station, one could be used for commercial manufacturing/labs while second module could be used accommodation and tourists.
If a 'space hotel' means a commercially funded venue in LEO for short stay open to the public. Then if you notice that what we have currently are the ISS and Dragon or Shenzhou and Tiangong. Judging by this, it is not possible with present technology.
The current situation with the ISS Pump Module illustrates how trying to cost a space hotel and ignoring the ISS experience will lead to bad economic models.
Quote from: Danderman on 12/15/2013 06:13 amThe current situation with the ISS Pump Module illustrates how trying to cost a space hotel and ignoring the ISS experience will lead to bad economic models.Indeed. Any future commercial space "hotel" will almost certainly need to be serviceable without spacewalks for a start. I'm not sure what Bigelow has in mind in that regard.