Elon Musk says SpaceX could fit about 100 laser links on each future Starlink satellite, outlining an engineering goal he believes could help the orbital network compete with undersea internet cables.
The goal concerns links that carry data between satellites, which is separate from the internet speed delivered to a customer’s home.
In an evening post Friday, Musk wrote: “If we shrink laser size, assuming 10X closer proximity, and have small gimbal angle for in-plane links, maybe we can get to 100 lasers/sat.”
The post names smaller laser equipment, a narrower aiming range and closer spacing between satellites as the conditions for reaching that goal.
In an earlier post, Musk described a network of more than 100,000 satellites, each carrying roughly 100 lasers operating above 10 terabits per second. He said that configuration “should be able to outcompete undersea cables.”
Musk also said light travels about 40% faster through space than through cable and that a space-based route can be more direct. Those are Musk’s comparisons for his proposed network.
JBizNews Desk | Technology
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