Internet-From-Space Race

Low-orbit internet-via-satellite is an important technology because it allows people in remote or inaccessible areas to access the internet. This can be particularly important for people in developing countries or areas with poor infrastructure.

One of the main pitfalls of low-orbit internet-via-satellite is that the signal can be disrupted by weather or other environmental factors. Additionally, the low-orbit satellites themselves are relatively small and have limited capacity, which can lead to slow internet speeds and high latency. Finally, the cost of deploying and maintaining a low-orbit satellite network can be prohibitively expensive for some organizations.

The U.S. versus Russia space race is long over, but a new space race is brewing as Amazon’s Jeff Bezos battles Tesla and SpaceX Founder Elon Musk for eventual market control of delivering the Internet from space-based satellites.

Musk has the lead with the successful launch of 700 Starlink satellites, but Bezos is putting up $10 billion to launch a constellation of more than 3,000 satellites. The U.K. government is also in the race, but its 45% stake in a now-bankrupt company’s low-orbit Internet-via-satellite venture may come to naught despite the launching of 74 of 649 satellites.