[amm]

Too little, too expensive, too late?

Once again the EU is playing catch up with last gen tech. Starlink is almost 10 years old - conceptually even older. Iridium has been around for over 25 years.

If the EU was serious, it should have invested proactively in next gen satellite direct to device tech that is around the corner in the US.

AST SpaceMobile is close to starting commercial activity for satellite based 5G that is supposed to work with any smart phone. Starlink is working on something similar with T-Mobile. G-Sat already has minimal D2D capability working with the latest iPhone generation.

Also, I wonder where cost competitive launch capability is going to come from for launching hundreds of satellites. Russia? China?

[viraptor]

> too expensive

What's your source for good cost of launching satellite communication networks? Would you like to show us the reasoning here?

> it should have invested proactively in next gen satellite direct to device tech

If the current one works - why would they? For defence usage, reliable is better than next gen usually. (Something something next gen F35 still not usable)

> I wonder where cost competitive launch capability is going to come from

French Guiana and other places like most previous launches? https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Pr...

[amm]

> What's your source for good cost of launching satellite communication networks?

- falcon 9 - $2700/kg

- falcon heavy - $1400/kg

- ariane 5 - $9000/kg

> If the current one works - why would they?

This is just low quality flame bait. If any of the before-mentioned (US) companies succeed commercially long-term, they will transform world-wide internet access especially in less developed countries.

For clarification: as a European citizen, I want the EU to stay competitive in the space tech sector.

[ClumsyPilot]

> Once again the EU is playing catch up with last gen tech. Starlink is almost 10 years old.. If the EU was serious, it should have invested proactively in next gen

Thats not their job.

Their job is to build infrastructure for Europe, Tonnels, GPS, bridges, etc, like the massive tunnels they are building through the alps.

https://youtu.be/30foJiPUrBA

Now they decided thay just like modern military and government needs a GPS, they need satellite based internet. I am sure war in Ukraine has helped sharpen minds there.

Their remit is not to invest in speculative projects ala hyperloop.

How is 5G mobiles connecting to sattelites relevant to EU?

Thats 100% commercial operation, if it is relevant, it's the job of European mobile operators to fund it, not for tax payers.

[yesod]

6 years ago the ESA and Arianespace were ridiculing reusable rockets, even as SpaceX was getting closer and closer to the non-RUD landing. Ariane 6 yet to launch, now trying to retrofit some level of reusability. Too slow, too stuck with their views... From my perspective, the 40ms I get from Starlink is worlds better then the 900ms I got from my 128kb/s Iridium Pilot (now in the skip).

[kortilla]

This direct to device tech is going to suck based on everything I’ve read so far. The radios in phones are so weak and undirected that getting 128kbps is going to be a challenge, let alone anything near what’s required to watch video.

Look at the gymnastics you have to do to use SOS on iPhone now.

[amm]

Let's see. ASTS claims to have solved this problem. Apparently their satellites have 30mbit+/s throughput with regular 5G smartphones at <100ms latency. If this stuff works (big if), it's going to disrupt the cell tower industry over night and bring broadband to remote places where towers are too hard and too expensive to operate.

Also, I imagine 5G satellites will be of interest to the DoD.

Anyway, the main point I was trying to make is: EU competition is so far behind (even conceptually) that they are playing catch up with 10 year old tech instead of looking where the puck might be going.