Good News! Project Kuiper Approved...

[-K2-]

Taking on SpaceX, Amazon to invest $10 billion in satellite broadband plan

Amazon.com Inc <AMZN.O> said on Thursday it will invest more than $10 billion to build a network of 3,236 satellites that will provide high-speed broadband internet services to people around the world who lack such access.

www.reuters.com

Okay, I lied about the 'good news' part, but it seems Project Kuiper, Jeff Bezos--ala Amazon--is off and running now approved to begin launching 3,236 LEO satellites to compete with Elon Musk's Starlink orbital garbage patch. That way, Amazon can assist with other folks plans to obscure the sun to reduce global warming, while supplying low cost broadband internet, 5G, and other great stuff for all--no doubt advertisement free, without collection of personal data, or control of data flow, in any way, shape, or form.

With such innovation and capitalistic greed ahem, I mean drive, we can help work mankind closer to a full on Kessler Syndrome event where all satellite use and space advancements end for generations to come. It just keeps gettin' more gudder-n-gudder

K2

P.S.: I'm kind of surprised other up and coming tech nations haven't begun similar plans. If they don't elbow out the competition soon, they;ll never be able to wedge their way in their with so many orbital paths taken...and lose their chance to help obscure all astronomical investigation while making space launches have to play out like a game of Asteroids

 

[Ori Vandewalle]

There's a wide variety of standard techniques astronomers use to clean up images because of various artifacts. In the long run, getting rid of ubiquitous satellite trails is just going to be one of them. Which is not to say it wouldn't be better if that weren't the case--every bit of image manipulation you do erases some amount of what could have been data.

 

[Ori Vandewalle]

On the other hand, high speed internet access in rural areas is severely lacking, and that's a problem techy people who like science and astronomy are probably not as likely to have firsthand experience with. Maybe filling the sky with satellites is a bad solution with too great a cost, but I think it's not quite so black and white as it's been portrayed.

 

[-K2-]

There's a wide variety of standard techniques astronomers use to clean up images because of various artifacts. In the long run, getting rid of ubiquitous satellite trails is just going to be one of them. Which is not to say it wouldn't be better if that weren't the case--every bit of image manipulation you do erases some amount of what could have been data.

Understood, and they do note that aircraft artifacts are worse, yet for the average person, such advanced methods are beyond most of us who struggle to get the image itself:

As to the internet aspect...yes and no. It's one thing when you have options (competition) or where the flow is regulated and enforced toward open access--yet the Amazons, Googles, etc. are more about profit and the control of information.

As an example, and I need to be cautious here...but recently I was in some rural areas near us. To hear the people in those areas speak about politics and world events, sounded more like some radical right wing propaganda machine was the only place they could get information. Then i turned on the TV. Every channel except one (of the four...cable/satellite TV not used by most there), was a network renown for their far right views. The fourth channel was cartoons.

So, access controlled by the few, is not always a good thing

Finally, my concern is a Kessler event (think the movie Gravity). All it takes is one collision and the whole thing 'could' fall apart...and hinder operations for a long time. Granted, collisions happen on occasion as it is I suspect. But, the more that happen narrow those odds of a significant event.

K2

 

[Ori Vandewalle]

Understood, and they do note that aircraft artifacts are worse, yet for the average person, such advanced methods are beyond most of us who struggle to get the image itself...

Good point.

So, access controlled by the few, is not always a good thing

Certainly, but some access at all might be better than none.

Finally, my concern is a Kessler event (think the movie Gravity). All it takes is one collision and the whole thing 'could' fall apart...and hinder operations for a long time. Granted, collisions happen on occasion as it is I suspect. But, the more that happen narrow those odds of a significant event.

Well for that we just need space trash collectors!

 

[.matthew.]

On the plus side, the internet is almost considered a utility service at this point, and the more it gets pushed that way, the greater the chance of useful regulation being created.

And if you think they aren't worried about stuff like that, there's a reason Google takes legal action against the use of the term "google it".