https://twitter.com/thesheetztweetz/status/1374022061631401989?s=21Not sure which Starlink thread this best fits in. More potential Starlink funding. Would be interesting if they get this, given that the UK government is in bed with Oneweb.
The U.S. Space Force last week asked satellite internet companies for updates on the performance and capabilities of their networks. This information is intended to help the government decide how to go about buying broadband services from operators of low-orbit satellites. A request for information was posted March 24 by the U.S. Space Force Commercial Satellite Communications Office, an organization that acquires satellite-based communications services on behalf of the Defense Department, other federal and state agencies, and governments of allied nations. The office originally issued a request for information a year ago for P-LEO COMSATCOM, short for proliferated low Earth orbit commercial satellite communications. A lot has happened in the industry over the past year, so procurement officials are updating their market research before they issue a draft request for proposals this summer.
After much discussion, President Biden finally released the general outlines of his $2 trillion infrastructure plan, of which $100 billion will be devoted to broadband services.Whether Biden will be able to get his proposal through Congress remains to be seen. But if he is successful, his proposal could dramatically alter the contours of the US broadband industry by injecting more federal money into the space than ever before.However, it's not clear exactly how Biden's plan will work. As usual, the devil is in the details. Here are four questions that need to be answered to properly vet the president's bold broadband plan.
The US Department of Defense wants to find out if SpaceX can make a miniature, wireless version of the antennas currently used to connect to Starlink satellite internet.The US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) announced its interest in miniaturized Starlink terminals as part of a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) soliciting proposals for dozens of small research and development projects under the US Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. At this stage, just hours after the round of SBIR proposal requests was published, it’s unclear if the US military is already coordinating with SpaceX on the topic of human-portable Starlink antennas or if the request is open to proposals from anyone.
SOCOM212-001 TITLE: Man-Portable Starlink SystemRT&L FOCUS AREA(S): Microelectronics; Network Command, Control and CommunicationsTECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Electronics; Information Systems; Materials; Space PlatformThe technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with section 3.5 of the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws.OBJECTIVE: The objective of this topic is to develop applied research toward an innovative capability to develop a small form factor system that enables reliable access to the Starlink commercial internet system.DESCRIPTION: As a part of this feasibility study, the proposers shall address all viable overall system design options with respective specifications on the key system attributes. The current commercial Starlink system uses a 1m dish and requires significant amounts of power to operate. The key system attributes for the desired system are that it must be man portable and battery powered. The system should be designed to be as small as possible while providing enough link margin to achieve reliable internet connection over the Starlink constellation. The antenna and modem need to be miniaturized along with being integrated with a small commercial off the shelf Software Defined Radio (e.g. Epiq Z2) for the RF link.PHASE I: Conduct a feasibility study to assess what is in the art of the possible that satisfies the requirements specified in the above paragraphs entitled “Objective” and “Description.”The objective of this USSOCOM Phase I SBIR effort is to conduct and document the results of a thorough feasibility study (“Technology Readiness Level 3”) to investigate what is in the art of the possible within the given trade space that will satisfy a needed technology. The feasibility study should investigate all options that meet or exceed the minimum performance parameters specified in this write up. It should also address the risks and potential payoffs of the innovative technology options that are investigated and recommend the option that best achieves the objective of this technology pursuit. The funds obligated on the resulting Phase I SBIR contracts are to be used for the sole purpose of conducting a thorough feasibility study using scientific experiments and laboratory studies as necessary. Operational prototypes will not be developed with USSOCOM SBIR funds during Phase I feasibility studies. Operational prototypes developed with other than SBIR funds that are provided at the end of Phase I feasibility studies will not be considered in deciding what firm(s) will be selected for Phase II.PHASE II: Develop, install, and demonstrate a prototype system determined to be the most feasible solution during the Phase I feasibility study on a man portable Starlink system.PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: This system could be used in a broad range of military applications where the need for a man portable Starlink system is required for operation of a communication or data exfiltration system.REFERENCES:1. Special Operations Tactical Communications, Defense Media Network, 27 May 2020, Andrew White; https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/special-operations-tactical-communications/.KEYWORDS: antenna; UHF; small; tactical; commercial, space; starlinkTPOC-1: SOCOM SBIR OfficeEmail: [email protected]
Oh man, I have just realized that Starlink has been deployed back in 2015, that is already 6 years ago!
During today's launch broadcast, it was mentioned that by now "more than half a million people have subscribed or put down a deposit" for Starlink. At US$100 per subscription, that's a cash flow of more than US$50m per month, and more than US$600m per year. Not too shabby for a service still in its beta testing phase ...
Only limitation is high density of users in urban areas. Most likely, all of the initial 500k will receive service. More of a challenge when we get into the several million user range.
Quote from: hoku on 05/04/2021 07:34 pmDuring today's launch broadcast, it was mentioned that by now "more than half a million people have subscribed or put down a deposit" for Starlink. At US$100 per subscription, that's a cash flow of more than US$50m per month, and more than US$600m per year. Not too shabby for a service still in its beta testing phase ... It took quite a while for Iridium to get half a million subscribers. They got half a million subscribers in 2011 (about $383 million in revenue in 2012 ($440 million adjusted for inflation to today's dollars)), a decade after bankruptcy (in 2001) and roughly a decade after the constellation was complete. SpaceX seems to be beating par.Having a memelord as CEO means SpaceX doesn't even need a marketing budget.
There's not much reason to pay the Starlink deposit and not get the service so it's reasonable to assume that most of those people will become customers. $600M / year is a large amount of money but not yet enough to pay the cost of the network.It's in the right ballpark though! $6B / year would would put Starlink into "cashcow" territory.
Belcher’s EDA, which serves a 200-mile area from Bluefield to the Cumberland Gap, has received a $500,000 state grant to provide Starlink service to about 300 households. Broadband improves education, telehealth and work opportunities, he says, and his team is working to expand access: “We would want it to benefit everybody in the region.”U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, visited Wise in April to learn about the Starlink pilot, and state and local officials are watching too.“New space-based satellite internet programs like this can provide a viable and more cost-efficient alternative to expanding internet to rural and underserved areas,” says state Sen. Todd Pillion, R-Abingdon.
It has been announced in 2015, while the first launch was in 2018
Quote from: Natalkirlin on 05/03/2021 06:55 pmOh man, I have just realized that Starlink has been deployed back in 2015, that is already 6 years ago!You mean 2018? It was announced in 2015.
