Musk says Starlink will work on boats

[bcboomer]

I'd be surprised if AST Space Mobile will be available in less than 5 years. They have not built any satellites yet.

[shimari]

https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/20...vent-cancelled

[Franziska]

Just read that Starlink is upgrading its software to use less power so that it can be run in cars as well.
This happens because it is available in Ukraine now and they may need to use batteries when no mains power is available.

Musk twittered:
".. Updating software to reduce peak power consumption, so Starlink can be powered from car cigarette lighter.

Mobile roaming enabled, so phased array antenna can maintain signal while on moving vehicle... "

So technically moving platforms seem to be working with the new dishes.
Likely roaming is limited to Ukraine currently though.

[GordMay]

Is the night sky part of our natural environment?
Some astronomers say yes, and are trying to preserve it

Astronomers around the world are concerned about a handful of commercial companies — chiefly SpaceX — proposing to flood low-Earth orbit with tens of thousands of these satellites, with the potential to far exceed that. There's also the risk of satellites crashing into one another and adding to the thousands of pieces of space junk already in orbit.

All this, astronomers say, is a threat to the preservation of our night sky.

As a result, on Feb. 3, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) announced the formation of the “Center for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference” [1].

Their goal is clear: to work with industry leaders, amateur astronomers, Indigenous groups, and scientists around the world. to protect the sanctity of the night sky.

The night sky has been a driving force in human history. We used the stars to navigate, to help us decide when to plant and to record time. We tracked the planets and noted when a new "star" (a supernova explosion) appeared in the heavens.

But nowadays, the Milky Way is something most people have only seen in photographs or on TV. A 2018 study [2] found that the Milky Way is hidden from roughly one-third of humanity, including 80 per cent of North Americans.

But there's another issue, one that doesn't involve the night sky.

Starlink satellites, which are providing broadband internet access to rural locations, have a life expectancy of roughly five years, after which they will be de-orbited, and burn up in Earth's atmosphere.

If you do the calculation, they want to replace 42,000 satellites every five years. That means they'll be de-orbiting 23 a day. When you just look at the mass of them, they're car-sized, so, that comes to six tonnes, of aluminum mostly, that will be added to the upper atmosphere every single day. Geoengineering, anyone?[3]

According to the European Space Agency's [ESA] Space Debris Office [4], as of March 3/22, there are roughly 7,810 satellites in orbit, with about 5,200 still operational. The total mass of all space objects in Earth orbit is more than 9,800 tonnes.

[1]“Center for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference” ~ IAU Announcement
➥ https://www.iau.org/news/pressreleases/detail/iau2201/


[2] “The new world atlas of artificial night sky brightness” ~ by Fabio Falchi et al
➥ https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.1600377

[3] “Solar Geoengineering Using Solid Aerosol in the Stratosphere” ~ by David Keith et al
➥ https://www.hks.harvard.edu/publicat...l-stratosphere

[4] “Space debris by the numbers” ~ ESA
➥ https://www.esa.int/Safety_Security/...by_the_numbers

[jack4566]

Originally Posted by GordMay

If you do the calculation, they want to replace 42,000 satellites every five years. That means they'll be de-orbiting 23 a day. When you just look at the mass of them, they're car-sized, so, that comes to six tonnes, of aluminum mostly, that will be added to the upper atmosphere every single day. Geoengineering, anyone?[3]

I would just like to point out that an estimated 25 million meteoroids, micrometeoroids and other space debris enter Earth's atmosphere each day, which results in an estimated 15,000 tonnes of material. 6 isnt a big deal.

https://www.abc.net.au/science/artic...22/3396756.htm

I'm also pretty sure they have always had the ability to allow mobile use. They just didn't due to license issues. Makes me wonder if a fully unlocked modem will ever be a thing for us offshore...

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by jack4566

I would just like to point out that an estimated 25 million meteoroids, micrometeoroids and other space debris enter Earth's atmosphere each day, which results in an estimated 15,000 tonnes of material [per YEAR]. 6 [tonnes per DAY] isnt a big deal.
https://www.abc.net.au/science/artic...22/3396756.htm
...

Originally Posted by GordMay

... If you do the calculation, they want to replace 42,000 satellites every five years. That means they'll be de-orbiting 23 a day. When you just look at the mass of them, they're car-sized, so, that comes to six tonnes, of aluminum mostly, that will be added to the upper atmosphere every single day. Geoengineering, anyone? ...
... The total mass of all space objects in Earth orbit is more than 9,800 tonnes...

Thanks, for the link.
6T/day ≈ 2,190T/Year ADDITIONAL dust.
See also:
“How does space dust affect our view of the night sky?” ~ ABC Science
➥ https://www.abc.net.au/science/artic...28/3278883.htm

[Off Trail]

The Starlink satellite size is approximately 3.2x1.6x0.2m, weight 227 kg. Not quite car-sized, more like a Portland Pudgy [emoji6]

[CaptTom]

This reminds me of old photos of US cities, with thousands of power, telephone and telegraph wires strung along the streets. Looked horrible and unsafe, but the value of the service outweighed the drawbacks of the infrastructure to support it.

I guess we have to make a decision on the similar trade-off for satellite services. I'm a big fan of both astronomy and technology. I'm not sure which side I should be on!

[dannc]

Originally Posted by GordMay

...

If you do the calculation, they want to replace 42,000 satellites every five years. That means they'll be de-orbiting 23 a day. When you just look at the mass of them, they're car-sized, so, that comes to six tonnes, of aluminum mostly, that will be added to the upper atmosphere every single day. Geoengineering, anyone?[3]...

Starlink satellites are the size of a table. Not a car.

I am outside at night frequently and I see danged few satellites. The only time I have seen any is at dusk, then I might see one. Maybe. Sometimes. I have NEVER seen a satellite, Starlink or others, at night. I see plenty of planes though. Are the astronomer's complaining about the airlines?

Later,
Dan

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by dannc

Starlink satellites are the size of a table. Not a car.

I am outside at night frequently and I see danged few satellites. The only time I have seen any is at dusk, then I might see one. Maybe. Sometimes. I have NEVER seen a satellite, Starlink or others, at night. I see plenty of planes though. Are the astronomer's complaining about the airlines?

Later,
Dan

Planes vs satellites...really?


Another hobby of mine is astrophotography. Planes vs satellites is not an equal comparison. You are unlikely to see a satellite with the unaided eye (very small by comparison, much further away, not actively lit). Planes are large by comparion, MUCH closer, and actively lit...which makes them hard to miss which is the intent. The only way you see a satellite by just looking into the sky is if the light angle is just right.

Even then, unless you are under very dark skies you are very unlikely to see a satellite.

However, I catch images of them and other space junk all the time. Fortunately software makes removing them easy.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by dannc

... Sometimes. I have NEVER seen a satellite, Starlink or others, at night. I see plenty of planes though. Are the astronomer's complaining about the airlines?
Later,
Dan

The Dark and Quiet Skies II conference, in October 2021, and its report, focused on the three categories of artificial interferences, that negatively impact astronomical observations:
● The urban illumination or artificial light at night;
● The optical/infrared trails of satellites in low Earth orbits;
● The radio transmission by ground and space emitters that affects radio astronomy.
They didn’t mention aircraft.
➥ https://zenodo.org/record/5874725#.YiJivZZOnIU

[JAFO]

Originally Posted by jack4566

I'm also pretty sure they have always had the ability to allow mobile use. They just didn't due to license issues. Makes me wonder if a fully unlocked modem will ever be a thing for us offshore...

My understanding is that mobile use was locked out, due to the limited capabilities of the version 1.0 satellites, during what has been a largely "testing & development" phase of the project.

Now that the 2.0 satellites are beginning to be deployed, mobile use will become more and more feasible as the numbers in orbit grow.

[JAFO]

Originally Posted by GordMay

See also:
“How does space dust affect our view of the night sky?” ~ ABC Science
➥ https://www.abc.net.au/science/artic...28/3278883.htm

Please don't conflate dust in deep space with atmospheric dust (which, unlike space dust, over time settles to the ground).

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by dannc

Starlink satellites are the size of a table. Not a car.

Originally Posted by Off Trail

The Starlink satellite size is approximately 3.2x1.6x0.2m, weight 227 kg. Not quite car-sized, more like a Portland Pudgy [emoji6]

Sorry, apparently I was wrong about that [should have double-checked my assumptions].

In a report [1], released in October 2021, the American Astronomical Society (ASS), likened the impact of megaconstellations, on astronomy, to light pollution.

The report said the sky may may brighten, by a factor of two to three, due to diffuse reflection of sunlight, off the spacecraft.

The vast amount of satellites that will be burning up, in the otherwise pristine upper layers of the atmosphere, could actually alter the atmospheric chemistry, and have unforeseen consequences for life on the planet.

In a paper [3] published in May 2021, Canadian researcher, Aaron Boley, said the aluminum the satellites are made of will produce aluminum oxide, also known as alumina, during burn-up. He warned that alumina is known to cause ozone depletion, and could also change the albedo of the planet, altering the atmosphere's ability to reflect heat. In those high layers of the atmosphere, the particles are likely going to stay forever, and while the amount of satellites burning in the atmosphere, will be considerably smaller than the amount of meteorites, the chemical composition of the artificial objects is different, thus the presence of the products of their burning is something scientists know nothing about.

We have 54 tonnes (60 tons) of meteoroid material coming in every day. With the first generation of Starlink, we can expect about 2 tonnes (2.2 tons) of dead satellites reentering Earth's atmosphere daily. But meteoroids are mostly rock, which is made of oxygen, magnesium and silicon. These satellites are mostly aluminum, which the meteoroids contain only in a very small amount, about 1%.


As of early January 2022, SpaceX had launched more than 1,900 Starlink satellites, overall.
"SpaceX is absolutely committed to finding a way forward so our Starlink project doesn't impede the value of the research you all are undertaking," Patricia Cooper, SpaceX's vice president of satellite government affairs, told astronomers [2] at a January 2020 meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Honolulu.

As of 03 March 2022 12,720 satellites have been launched [3], in all of history, with only 5,200 still active, according to the European Space Agency [ESA].
Number of rocket launches since the start of the space age in 1957: About 6180 (excluding failures)
Number of satellites these rocket launches have placed into Earth orbit: About 12720
Number of these still in space: About 7810
Number of these still functioning: About 5200
Number of debris objects regularly tracked by Space Surveillance Networks and maintained in their catalogue: About 29860
Estimated number of break-ups, explosions, collisions, or anomalous events resulting in fragmentation: More than 630
Total mass of all space objects in Earth orbit: More than 9800 tonnes.



[1] “Challenge for astronomy: Megaconstellations becoming the new light pollution”
➥ https://www.space.com/megaconstellat...ight-pollution

[2] ESA Space Debris ➥ https://www.esa.int/Safety_Security/...by_the_numbers

[3] "Satellite mega-constellations create risks in Low Earth Orbit, the atmosphere and on Earth” ~ by Aaron C. Boley & Michael Byers
➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/s415...57f1c90a1c0e0c

[4]“SpaceX tests black satellite to reduce ‘megaconstellation’ threat to astronomy”
➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/d415...7659570a1c0e10

“This Is How Elon Musk Can Fix The Damage His Starlink Satellites Are Causing To Astronomy” ~ by Ethan Siegel
➥ https://www.forbes.com/sites/startsw...h=138cb6c4ccce

“Trails made by Starlink satellites” ➥ https://www.iau.org/public/images/detail/ann19035a/

[Franziska]

This is very interesting, maybe current users on boats should check theirs :-)

A guy with an RV discovered by accident that the roaming function of his starlink terminal is working.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVQqVYiPqY