Space Internet

SpaceX, a dominant commercial enterprise of the world in space technology, has sent 60 satellites in Lower Earth Orbit under the Starlink Network project. It is one and the most ambitious among the several ongoing efforts for transmitting data signals from space. The company intends to gradually develop this operation into a constellation of around 12,000 satellites.

This article comprises all essential and recent facts on space internet to cover the UPSC Syllabus.

Know about the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the official body that conducts research in space science in India. It was established in 1969 to help develop an indigenous Indian space program.

What is Space Internet and How Does It Work?

Satellite internet works by beaming and receiving data from a comparatively smaller satellite dish installed on Earth. It typically communicates with the satellites either in geostationary orbit or Lower Earth Orbit. That means service providers will not require fibre optic cables and mobile towers for a wireless network because the internet transmits directly from the satellite.

Get the List of Indian Satellites at the linked article.

Objective of Space Internet

The traditional methods of providing internet through fibre-optic cables and wireless mobile towers are difficult to implant everywhere around the Earth. For instance, these are unfeasible to set up specifically in remote areas or unfavourable physiography.

Therefore, approx. 4 billion people, that is, more than half of the world’s total population, cannot access reliable internet. This project aims to provide authentic space internet services at a low cost to every inaccessible terrain.

Currently, 2 types of satellites are being used to establish the satellite internet system. Below is a brief discussion about that.

Space Internet Using Geostationary Satellite

The idea of using geostationary satellites already exists. Almost all satellite-based internet services use a Geostationary Satellite at present. The satellites operate in the geostationary orbit 35,786 km above the Earth’s equatorial surface.

Advantages

Below are some advantages of geostationary satellites:

• 1 geostationary satellite provides signals that can cover almost 1/3rd part of the Earth. It indicates that signals from 3 to 4 satellites will be enough to provide internet connectivity to the whole planet.
• These satellites have better connectivity and are easy to link, as they come across as stationary.

Disadvantages

The main disadvantage of geostationary satellites is as follows:

• The data transfer from a geostationary satellite is somewhat sluggish due to being located at a higher altitude. Therefore, the distance causes significant latency, which is about 600 milliseconds.

Note: A time lag created when the server sends the data to a user seeking it is latency.

Space Internet Using Satellites in Low Earth Orbit

The Lower Earth Orbit (LEO) is located 2,000 km above the Earth’s sea surface, straight over the equator. The World space internet system with satellites in LEO brings a host of advantages along with a solution for lag.

Advantages

Below are some significant advantages that LEO satellites provide:

• Satellites in LEO mitigate the latency due to being located at a lower altitude from the Earth’s sea surface. A more downward distance can bring down the latency to 20-30 milliseconds, the bare minimum time that terrestrial systems require to transmit data.
• This system can overcome any physiographic obstacle that standard methods face.

Disadvantages

Apart from these advantages, it has some unavoidable cons as follows:

• The satellite’s signals can cover a smaller area as the orbit is located at a lower height.
• The system will need a large number of satellites for higher coverage of data and annihilation of breakage in data transmission. This not only makes it costlier but also hinders space studies.
• The changes in generating space debris increase with an increasing number of satellites in LEO.
• Light reflecting from artificial satellites may emit into the atmosphere and create difficulties in recognising heavenly objects or space signals.

Other UPSC preparation related links:

Usefulness of Space Internet

Apart from the individual drawbacks of each type of satellite, space internet is useful to humankind in many ways.

1. It will provide high-speed internet up to 300Mbps, as assured by Elon Musk on project Starlink.
2. On top of that, it will be able to connect people from remote or rural areas where the traditional system fails to reach.

Effects of Weather Condition in Space Internet

Regular internet users often face network problems in bad weather conditions. Especially heavy rainfall, thunder and storms can damage the optical fibre system and wireless towers, which causes slower speed or outage.

However, space-based internet does not promise to solve this problem. As mentioned on the FAQ page of Starlink, heavy rain and stormy weather can disrupt internet connection, leading to a slower speed.

So, to sum up, space internet was an existing concept that only a few people could adopt for its cost. But in present days, SpaceX endeavours to overcome the limitations of geostationary satellites with satellites in LEO.

All the details about the space-based internet that this article includes are pivotal and helpful for IAS preparation. Nevertheless, aspirants should also check other current affairs regarding this topic to enhance their preparation.