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+--- Thread: Remember the Google (and Farcebook) Satellite System ? Yeah.. never mind. (/showthread.php?tid=179954)
Remember the Google (and Farcebook) Satellite System ? Yeah.. never mind. - cbelt3 - 06-09-2015
http://qz.com/422775/facebook-and-google-are-out-of-the-space-race/
"Who wasn’t excited to see Facebook and Google battle for dominance of low-earth orbit?
Alas, it wasn’t meant to be: both companies are shelving their ambitious plans for satellite internet. The tech-news site The Information reports that Facebook is dropping its plans for a geo-stationary satellite over concerns that it will not recoup costs. Google, which hired satellite entrepreneur Greg Wyler to prepare an satellite constellation in 2014, backed out of that plan earlier this year."
Hot air balloons fueled by marketing conventions are still an option, however....
Re: Remember the Google (and Farcebook) Satellite System ? Yeah.. never mind. - silvarios - 06-09-2015
I thought Google's big push was project loon?
https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&q=project+loon&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#q=project+loon&tbm=nws
Re: Remember the Google (and Farcebook) Satellite System ? Yeah.. never mind. - ztirffritz - 06-09-2015
One of Google's balloons crashed not too far from where I live.
http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/google-s-loon-balloon-descended-too-soon/article_e61b7d17-fb4f-5b63-bbfb-ce4702906c63.html
Re: Remember the Google (and Farcebook) Satellite System ? Yeah.. never mind. - Black - 06-09-2015
Would rather have them putting their resources into that than driverless cars. :drool:
Re: Remember the Google (and Farcebook) Satellite System ? Yeah.. never mind. - GGD - 06-10-2015
Looks like SpaceX is planning to do what other have just given up on.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/spacex-founder-files-with-government-to-provide-internet-service-from-space/2015/06/09/db8d8d02-0eb7-11e5-a0dc-2b6f404ff5cf_story.html?tid=trending_strip_2
Re: Remember the Google (and Farcebook) Satellite System ? Yeah.. never mind. - sekker - 06-10-2015
GGD wrote:
Looks like SpaceX is planning to do what other have just given up on.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/spacex-founder-files-with-government-to-provide-internet-service-from-space/2015/06/09/db8d8d02-0eb7-11e5-a0dc-2b6f404ff5cf_story.html?tid=trending_strip_2
Simple economics. Musk decided to do it, meaning they needed a different rocket vendor.
Re: Remember the Google (and Farcebook) Satellite System ? Yeah.. never mind. - Paul F. - 06-10-2015
I'm guessing that Google hemmed and hawed, and then Elon Musk said "fine, if you're not going to do it, we will!"... giving Google the excuse they were looking for to bow out.
Just a guess, though... I'm not privy to Elon's thoughts, and probably couldn't understand most of them if I was.
Once the Falcon 9 1st stages go reusable, a "very low orbit" cloud of satellites becomes 5x cheaper to launch, which will lead to satellites not being "overbuilt" to last because they will be going in a time-limited orbit anyway, which will reduce satellite costs...
This is do-able...
Re: Remember the Google (and Farcebook) Satellite System ? Yeah.. never mind. - GGD - 06-10-2015
Google and Fidelity invested $1 Billion back in January to help fund this.
http://www.space.com/28316-spacex-elon-musk-google-fidelity-investment.html
I wouldn't be surprised if dropping off some of these satellites becomes a standard non-primary task of many of SpaceX's paid launches. Just as their testing of their landing system is being done.
Re: Remember the Google (and Farcebook) Satellite System ? Yeah.. never mind. - vision63 - 06-10-2015
GGD wrote:
Google and Fidelity invested $1 Billion back in January to help fund this.
http://www.space.com/28316-spacex-elon-musk-google-fidelity-investment.html
I wouldn't be surprised if dropping off some of these satellites becomes a standard non-primary task of many of SpaceX's paid launches. Just as their testing of their landing system is being done.
Elon goes for his. More power to him.