The Internet Satellite Race
In the skies above us, a battle is brewing between companies. A battle to build massive internet constellations.
In current times, the internet matters a lot. Most people have an internet connection, and there are lots of ways to get an internet connection. You can connect your house using cables, you can use mobile data, or you can use satellite internet.
How Satellite Internet Works
Satellite internet currently works by having large, expensive satellites in a Geostationary Orbit (GEO). In these orbits, it takes 24 hours to orbit the Earth, so basically it stays above the same spot on the Earth. Satellites in GEO stay over one large section of earth the entire time. For example, a satellite internet company might station one satellite above North and South America, one above Europe, one above East Asia, and one over the Middle East and Africa. This would allow them to provide the internet over large portions of the Earth using only a few satellites. However, there is one problem with this approach, the internet is slow, and expensive. However, for many people living in rural areas without high-speed internet cables, it’s the only option they have.
The New Way
A group of Starlink satellites traveling across the sky are seen in this 2-second exposure. Many astronomers are concerned that the thousands of satellites that will be launched will make it harder to study the night sky.
Now this is where SpaceX, OneWeb and Amazon come in. They, and a few other companies have recently come up with a different approach to satellite internet. What if, instead of having a few large satellites, you could have thousands of small ones!
These smaller satellites would be launched into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). In a LEO orbit it takes about 90 minutes to go around the Earth once. Satellites in LEO would be able to provide faster internet, since they are closer to Earth. But in order to get global coverage, you need for there to be at any given second, multiple satellites over every single spot on Earth. This would require thousands of satellites to be launched into space, but this doesn’t scare SpaceX, Amazon, Astra, or OneWeb. Learn about the companies trying to bring high speed internet to the world below.
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A cluster of Starlink satellites being deployed.
A Falcon 9 rocket landing on an autonomous barge in the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX's Starship vehicle will launch most of the second generation of Starlink satellites.
About every other week, a Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station carrying a large payload of nearly identical satellites. These satellites are Starlink satellites, and over 25 hundred have already been deployed (as of July 2022.) Many of these satellites have failed or have been deorbited so the amount of operational satellites is lower. SpaceX is far ahead of all of the other companies discussed on this page, and a big reason for this is because SpaceX both produces and launches their own satellites, something that Amazon and OneWeb don't do.
Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX first announced the idea for Starlink in 2015. After 3 years of research and development, the first 2 prototype satellites were launched in 2018. Since then, SpaceX has significantly expanded satellite production and now produces at least 6 satellites per day. These satellites are then loaded onto Falcon 9 rockets and launch from either Cape Canaveral or Vandenberg Space Force Base depending on the destination orbit. Each Starlink mission typically launches between 46 and 60 satellites. Once the Starlink satellites are moved to their target orbits and commissioned, they can then connect user terminals to internet servers.
In May of 2021, SpaceX completed the first shell of satellites, which consists of 1584 satellites. The satellites in shell 1 are at an inclination of 53 degrees. By this point, they had already added a few satellites into polar orbits. SpaceX then spent the remainder of 2021 and 2022 working on adding satellites to shell 2 and has also started working on shell 4, which will be made up of satellites in high-inclination orbits. Launches have taken place at Cape Canaveral and at Vandenburg Space Force Base.
In August 2020, SpaceX had launched enough satellites that they could begin Beta testing for their internet service. People in locations that had sufficient coverage and government approval could order a small antenna to install on their house and provide internet. The Beta testing began in the Northern US and Canada, and has since expanded across Europe, Asia, and Oceania. In Spring 2022 SpaceX began allowing Starlink antennas to be attached to RVs and maritime service began in July 2022. However, as they have expanded from Beta to full service they have struggled with high demand, which has led to a decrease in internet speed.
Final plans for the Starlink constellation may include as many as 42,000 satellites in 8 orbital shells, which will allow for global coverage. But in order to reach that capacity SpaceX needs to complete development of their Starship vehicle, a rocket unlike any other. If development takes too long, then Amazon, with there large funding, or OneWeb, with their more experienced leadership, could take the lead, or at least claim a significant portion of the industry. But for now, SpaceX is the clear leader. They have captured the public's imagination, something that no satellite internet project has ever been able to do.
Amazon
In 2019 Amazon began working on Project Kuiper, a program to develop a broadband constellation similar to Starlink. Amazon may seem like an odd company to build an internet satellite constellation, but it makes a lot of sense. Amazon has been venturing out into different markets besides online retail, including video streaming and cloud computing.
Amazon is serious about Project Kuiper, they have already invested over $10 billion in developing the Kuiper constellation, and hired hundreds of engineers, many of which used to work for SpaceX. Amazon plans to launch over 3,000 satellites, which would allow them to provide global internet coverage. Very few details about the actual satellites have been released, but Amazon does have a contract with ABL Space to launch the first prototype satellites in late 2022.
Their first choice to launch the entire constellation would be Blue Origin, since the company is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Blue Origin is quickly becoming a leading player in the space industry and is currently developing the heavy lift New Glenn rocket. But in order to deploy their constellation faster, Amazon has decided to work with a variety of launch providers.
Amazon booked 9 launches on Atlas V rockets in April of 2021. The Atlas V is United Launch Alliance's (ULA) workhorse rocket, but is in the process of being phased out and replaced by the Vulcan Centaur rocket. Nine flights isn't nearly enough to deploy their constellation, so Amazon purchased additional rockets. In April 2022 Amazon announced the purchase of an unprecedented amount of rocket launches. They purchased 12 flights on Blue Origin's New Glenn, with 15 additional launches as options, 38 launches on ULA's Vulcan Centaur, and 18 launches on Arianespace's Ariane 6. If all of these flights occur, then that will equal 83 rocket launches!
But there's a catch. Vulcan Centaur, New Glenn, and Ariane 6 are all still in development. They are all still months, if not years away from their first launch, and each have a large list of missions that have already been booked. Delays in the development of these rockets could pose a serious threat for Project Kuiper.
Amazon has permission from the FCC to deploy their 3,200 satellite constellation, but they must deploy half of it by July 2026. If they fail to deploy approximately 1,600 satellites over the next four years then they will lose that permission, possibly forever.
Amazon has hired many former SpaceX employees to run Project Kuiper, and have billions of dollars to spend on this project. Their success depends primarily on the development of three rockets. Rocket development is fraught with delays, as is almost everything in the space industry. But if the stars align, then Amazon is in a prime position to soar above competition.
Amazon has booked nine flights on ULA's Atlas V to launch Kuiper satellites. These will probably include the first launches of Kuiper satellites. The Atlas V has been in operation since 2002 and has a 100% success record.
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket will likely launch a large portion of the Kuiper constellation. New Glenn is powered by liquid Methane and liquid Oxygen, and it's first stage is propelled by 7 BE-4 engines. The rocket is designed to be partially reusable and capable of lifting 45 metric tons to LEO.
(Top) An illustration of a OneWeb satellite.
(Bottom) 36 OneWeb satellites being prepared for launch on a Soyuz 2 rocket.
A Soyuz rocket launching astronauts to the ISS in 2013. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Overshadowed by the constant stream of satellites being launched by SpaceX, is a smaller company called OneWeb. OneWeb is trying to build a large satellite constellation, and they will begin by launching 648 satellites. They have teamed up with Airbus to construct the satellites. OneWeb initially launched satellites exclusively on Arianespace Soyuz 2 rockets.
OneWeb had already launched 74 satellites in March of 2020 when things took a turn for the worst. As Covid-19 cases rapidly increased, investors backed out and OneWeb was forced to file bankruptcy.
Many people thought that would be the end for OneWeb, but the UK government and the Indian conglomerate Bharti Global invested millions of dollars into OneWeb. OneWeb was able to stay afloat through the worst of the pandemic, and resumed satellite launches in December of 2020. OneWeb then continued to launch satellites from Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia and Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. By February 2022 428 satellites had been launched, and the company was already beginning to provide internet services to the arctic. OneWeb expected to complete the initial constellation by the end of the year. Then Russia invaded Ukraine.
The 14th group of OneWeb satellites had already been rolled out to the launch pad on their Soyuz rocket in early March and was being prepared for launch, when Roscosmos, who owns the launch pad, wouldn't launch the satellites. They refused to launch the rocket unless the UK government divested in the company and the company promised to never let militaries use their satellites. In order to maintain their position in the internet satellite race OneWeb had to find another rocket to launch on.
Gratefully, OneWeb announced a deal with SpaceX, their competitor, only a few weeks after they suspended operations with Russia. SpaceX agreed to use their Falcon rockets to launch OneWeb satellites beginning in late 2022. They also made a deal to use the Indian GSLV rocket to help them finish their initial constellation.
Throughout all of this OneWeb has been working on a second constellation of satellites, Gen 2. Gen 2 will be a successor to the current fleet of satellites, and will add additional capabilities. These satellites will probably be larger and have more communication equipment, and potentially even navigation equipment that could be used by the UK government to create a form of GPS. OneWeb awarded a contract to Relativity Space to begin launching Gen 2 satellites as early as 2025.
OneWeb has potential to rival SpaceX and Amazon, but they are also at a severe disadvantage. Both SpaceX and Amazon have billions of dollars that they can spend on their constellations, while OneWeb has had to spend much of their time and effort in order to gather investments.
In order to avoid directly competing with SpaceX, OneWeb has focused on providing internet to businesses, militaries, and airplanes. They also have the advantage of more experience. OneWeb is led by people who have more experience in the communications industry, and are taking a more traditional approach. This trend will continue in 2023 when OneWeb merges with geostationary communication satellite operator Eutelsat. Together they will provide a wide variety of communication services that could put OneWeb ahead of less experienced companies into a highly profitable position.
Aerospace giant Boeing also wants to get in on this new market. They have decades of experience building airplanes, rockets, and satellites. And is currently one of the best satellite manufacturers in the world.
On November 3rd, 2021 the FCC approved Boeing's plan for a constellation of 147 satellites. These satellites will be in a much higher orbit, so fewer satellites are needed for global coverage.
Boeing will likely build these satellites, and probably use ULA, which Boeing jointly runs with Lockheed Martin, to launch the satellites. Boeing hasn't shown any signs of progress in designing the satellites, and they need to act fast. Their competitors are way ahead of them, and half of its constellation has to be deployed by 2027, and the entirety by 2030, or they lose the rights to the radio spectrum that they have reserved.
An Astra rocket 3.2 performing a test flight in December of 2020.
Another company that is working on a satellite internet constellation is Astra, a young aerospace startup that builds rockets. In November of 2021, they put their first satellite into orbit using their Rocket 3 vehicle. They are also developing a satellite bus and recently purchased ion engine manufacturer Apollo Fusion.
On November 4th, 2021, the day after Boeing announced plans for their constellation, Astra filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission (A US agency that manages radio communications) for a 13,620 internet satellite constellation. These satellites will communicate in the V-band and will likely be manufactured and launched by Astra. They will begin by launching 40 satellites into an equatorial orbit. After performing some testing, Astra will then proceed to launch thousands more satellites to provide global coverage.
Astra is a very vertically integrated company, but they have recently had problems with their rockets, and I am skeptical of how serious they are about this project. But nonetheless, I think that if they find a good partner to help them with this project then they can be very successful in bringing broadband to the world.
Concerns
Not everyone is convinced that this is a good idea. Many astronomers do not like the idea of thousands of new satellites being launched in the next few years. They claim that SpaceX and OneWeb are ruining the night sky with their numerous highly reflective satellites. They do have a good point, Starlink satellites reflect a lot of sunlight and are visible with the naked eye. Many observatories are already feeling the effects, many are having a harder time studying faint night sky objects due to the bright streaks of light caused by Starlink. Unlike in radio astronomy, there are no laws regulating light pollution in the night sky. SpaceX has attempted to decrease the brightness of their satellites using sun visors, and they plan to make there second generation of Starlink satellites to be completely invisible to the naked eye.
Another major concern that people have is space debris. For decades, old satellites, spent rocket stages, and pieces of debris have been building up in Earth orbit. Nobody controls these pieces of junk, and they pose a threat of collision to operational satellites and manned spacecraft. The collision of a small piece of debris into a manned spacecraft could lead to the death of any astronauts onboard! And, with every collision, more small pieces of debris spread out in Earth orbit, which leads to more and more collisions.
People are concerned that OneWeb, Starlink, and Kuiper satellites will significantly increase the amount of space debris. SpaceX is trying to avoid this problem by keeping their satellites in very low orbits and programming them to automatically deorbit if they lose contact with Earth. OneWeb has attached grapple points onto their satellites, so that if they lose control of a satellite, it can be repaired or deorbited by a specialized repair satellite in the future.
Sources
SpaceX Starlink:
https://everydayastronaut.com/starlink-group-2-1-falcon-9-block-5-2/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starlink
https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2022/starlinks-current-problem-capacity
Amazon Kuiper:
https://spacenews.com/abl-space-systems-to-launch-project-kuipers-first-satellites-in-2022/
https://spacenews.com/amazons-kuiper-constellation-gets-fcc-approval/
OneWeb:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm8EgAo4xvo
https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/21/22988867/oneweb-spacex-launch-agreement-russia-roscosmos-soyuz
https://spacenews.com/oneweb-signs-contract-to-launch-satellites-from-india-in-2022/
https://spacenews.com/oneweb-to-launch-second-generation-satellites-with-relativity-space/
Astra:
https://spacenews.com/astras-100-year-plan-qa-with-ceo-chris-kemp/
https://spacenews.com/astra-files-fcc-application-for-13600-satellite-constellation/
Boeing:
https://www.space.com/boeing-satellite-constellation-fcc-approval
Concerns:
https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/1/7/21003272/space-x-starlink-astronomy-light-pollution
https://api.starlink.com/public-files/BrightnessMitigationBestPracticesSatelliteOperators.pdf