How to have 5G and space?
A few months of effort, “Silicon Valley Iron Man” Musk’s SpaceX Company, has already brushed a lot of experience around space.
The Falcon 9 rocket was first launched from the NASA Kennedy Space Center and became the world’s first private company’s manned spaceflight; the starship prototype SN4 engine static ignition test exploded, which was once an annual regret for science fiction fans; In July, Starchain planned to launch the seventh batch of 60 satellites successfully, and the light pollution caused also caused protests in the astronomy community…
In many screen-scattering events, the satellite Internet that Starchain plans to build may be the closest project to ordinary people and the most commercially valuable project.
In April this year, satellite Internet, as one of the representatives of communication network infrastructure, was also included in the category of new infrastructure information infrastructure for the first time, marking that satellite Internet construction has risen to a national strategic project. Representatives from the two sessions also put forward proposals to promote the development of the satellite Internet industry.
Is it like launching a “fireworks” satellite like Musk? Is it worth learning?
Satellite Internet is not new, why is it making a comeback at this time?
If you still remember a mobile phone brand called Motorola, then congratulations, and expose your age. Motorola once proposed the “Iridium Project” to expand signal coverage by satellite, and there is even a very “overbearing president” story behind it–
A Motorola engineer was on vacation by the sea, and when his wife complained that the beach was too biased and the phone signal could not be covered, he thought of using satellites around the world to form a constellation to solve the problem of global signal coverage. This idea was approved by the top management, and the Iridium Project was soon launched. I have to sigh that the boss can only contract the fish pond, while the technical man can release 77 satellites for his lover.
Of course, the same fate as the decline of the Motorola brand itself. Although the Iridium system succeeded in networking, there were few users. Finally, it suffered serious losses and had to sell it at a low price.
Is satellite internet really useful? If it was ten years ago, the answer is one point.
For example, if you cross the Taklimakan Desert 20 years ago, you don’t have to worry about losing contact. Because the “rural small base station” along the road uses satellite transmission, so you can make calls as usual. Of course, the service provider is likely to be a foreign satellite leased.
Obviously, the main mobile phones for the first wave of communication satellites are mainly forIt is not limited by the base station and provides telephone service for some inaccessible areas. For ordinary people, when the antenna is installed and watching TV becomes a thing of the past, the role of satellites is almost non-existent.
So, this time the satellite Internet is once again popular all over the world, and it also catches the ride of the “new infrastructure”. What is the reason?
This is to mention another application direction of low-orbit communication satellites, which is the protagonist of this article-satellite Internet.
That is, through a communication network composed of a large number of low-orbit communication satellites, global communication can be seamlessly covered, covering the blind spots of existing terrestrial Internet networks, and solving the needs of remote, scattered areas, and air and sea users. For example, air WiFi, which is only available for a few flights, is served by satellite.
Of course, with the continuous advancement of technology, satellite constellations may also gradually replace ground base stations to achieve a comprehensive “sky base station”. This is why there are rumors that satellite Internet threatens 5G networks.
However, the constellation of communication satellites aimed at mobile phones, which is the first satellite Internet climax that began in the 1990s, the results are obvious to all. Because of the rapid development of terrestrial mobile communication systems, satellite communications have become very daunting and have not been widely used.
The reason why the new generation of space Internet that targets network services will be viewed differently is mainly from three aspects of mature conditions:
1. The upgrade of the low-orbit communication constellation has greatly reduced the cost of satellite deployment.
Around 2010, the world’s three major low-orbit communication constellations have all started to be upgraded. “Global Star” Global star launched the second-generation star program, adding satellite-based WiFi services; Orbitcom company Orbcomm also completed the launch of six second-generation stars, two generation satellites provide services in orbit at the same time, can also provide things Services for networking; the most complex “Iridium-NEXT” constellation of the system was also successfully launched by SpaceX’s “Falcon 9” rocket.
The common point of this wave of updates is that after ten years of iteration in commercial aerospace, the development and launch costs of small communications satellites have been greatly reduced.
For example, SpaceX has reduced launch costs by 50% through reusable rocket technology. At the same time, a large number of non-aerospace technologies began to be introduced into satellite projects, claiming to be the first OneWeb company to use commercial and mass production technology to produce satellites.From 12-18 months per capsule, it increased to 2 capsules per day.
In the production process, some standard modular interface designs that can be mass-produced are widely used, and 3D printing technology is also used to directly form satellite components. In addition, OneWeb also established a satellite factory in cooperation with Airbus, using a highly automated robot production line to apply the mass production experience of aviation aircraft to the field of satellites, reducing the cost of a single satellite to $500,000.
All these have given the possibility of large-scale deployment of the satellite system and enhanced its competitive advantage in commercial value, which has begun to attract more commercial companies’ attention.
2. Internet applications are booming, and new commercial opportunities have emerged for satellite services.
As mentioned above, the first wave of construction of the satellite Internet, the main goal is to serve as the “spare tire” of the ground network, and play its special advantages in offshore drilling platforms, mining, disaster relief and other fields. The niche of the user community directly formed an invisible commercial ceiling.
Since 2010, the popularity of smartphones and mobile Internet has spawned a large number of innovative web-based applications, and is no longer limited to telephone communications, voice, video, etc. have begun to integrate into every inch of daily life Become an important infrastructure of a country.
Under such a market environment, the habits of broadband users have matured and they are not satisfied with the established network environment. When the Internet scene is generalized to special environments such as airplanes, cruise ships, automobiles, and wilderness, increasing the width and breadth of data services and expanding new business models have naturally become satellite communications.
In addition, according to data disclosed by the United Nations, 49% of the world’s population still does not enter the Internet world. If this group of people is included in the online consumer market, the benefits will be considerable.
Therefore, a group of emerging satellite Internet companies that provide network services have begun to emerge. For example, O3B Networks, which aims to serve “another 3 billion people”. SpaceX’s StarChain will also be the first to serve high latitudes (Northern United States and Canada).
3. Affectionate joining of technology giants, pushThe mobile satellite industry chain has accelerated its maturity.
If the rise of satellite communications for the first time is a competitive relationship with the terrestrial communications industry, “you have no one”, so that you can only take a slanted path and open up new paths. Survival, then the participation of many technology companies not only found new business goals for the satellite Internet, but also directly promoted the maturity of the satellite industry chain with the power of money.
In addition to the famous Musk, Facebook is also involved in the construction of satellite Internet. In 2015, it cooperated with French satellite company Eutelsat Communicaition to rent the latter’s satellite to provide Internet services to the African continent.
Samsung also published a paper, saying that it plans to launch 4,600 satellites to build its own satellite Internet, which can provide 200G of traffic per person for 5 billion people every month.
Not to mention the US commercial satellite companies represented by OneWeb, SpaceX, O3b are very good at capital. OneWeb has received $1.2 billion in financing from SoftBank, and SpaceX has raised more than $500 million in the past three months for Starchain and Starship. project. This brings not only sufficient funds, but also industrial resources for multi-party cooperation. For example, OneWeb has cooperated with Virgin Galactic, Qualcomm, Wei Xun and Coca-Cola successively, and has helped a lot in satellite manufacturing, ground services, commercial marketing and other aspects.
According to a Bloomberg report, Apple is also developing satellite network technology, absorbing about 12 engineers in related industries, and is expected to deploy relevant results to Apple devices within five years.
With so many brains involved in technology, it’s hard to think about satellite Internet~
China’s satellite Internet, the spark of the stars, why is it the prairie?
Since satellite Internet has become a popular business overseas, what is the situation in China?
From a policy perspective, whether it is proposed at the “national” level for the first time in the “13th Five-Year National Science and Technology Innovation Plan” in 2016, the comprehensive integration of the space-based information network, the future Internet, and the mobile communication network will be promoted to form The world-wide integrated information network of the world; or the official introduction of satellite Internet into the “new infrastructure” system in 2020, the emphasis on this technology itself is consistent.
On the industrial level, the currently well-known constellation plans are “Hongyan” and “Hongyun”, which will launch 300 and 156 low-orbit communication satellites, respectively, and will complete the construction of the space communication network in 2023.
Commercial power is naturally not absent, for example, in January this year, the private company Galaxy Space successfully launched the first low-orbit broadband communication satellite with a communication capacity of 10Gbps; the space-time Daoyu under the automobile company Geely Technology also began to recruit rocket projectsDivision, ready to set foot in the field of rockets. The constellation of low-orbit IoT composed of 72 satellites of Nine Sky MSI will also be deployed by 2022.
Overall, the Chinese satellite Internet industry chain is still in the early stage of the project. The emergence of this situation is also directly related to the characteristics of China’s space industry:
1. Leading technology, late start.
Objectively speaking, my country’s satellite technology and total number of satellites are among the highest in the world. The multi-point and rapid jump to basic capabilities demonstrated by aerospace companies in the constellation plan also shows that long-term industrial accumulation can make up for the shortcomings in the field of satellite Internet to a certain extent.
But overall, at present, there are relatively few low-orbit satellites sent to space by my country, only a fraction of the number of US communications satellites. A single satellite or several satellites are a huge deal for the establishment of a space Internet. Because satellites will fly over the earth at high speed, it is difficult to provide continuous communication services if the number is insufficient. Satellite Internet that cannot be fully covered naturally loses its meaning.
2. Policy-led, commercial unknown.
We know that SpaceX has carried out 6 launches, plus 60 satellites launched on April 22, so far, 422 star chain satellites have been sent into space. According to Musk’s plan, another 30,000 will be prepared in the future.
In a few years, SpaceX has managed to triple the launch of human history. Although NASA and the US government support are indispensable behind it, commercial companies are not tolerant of the promotion of satellite Internet.
Especially the high cost and long cycle of satellite system construction determine that its development must involve market forces to mobilize industry vitality.
For example, in October 2019, the US Army and SpaceX signed a cooperative R&D agreement called CRADA. The defense services department will test SpaceX’s upcoming Starlink broadband network within three years.
At present, my country’s satellite industry is still relatively independent, mainly led by state-owned enterprises, and tends to be conservative in market promotion and operation mode.
In addition to the unclear market demand, it also directly slowed down the development cycle of the industry.
3. Top-level design, mass segmentation
In the 1990s, Iridium’s plan to sell satellite phones through telecom operators also led to dismal sales. The actions of OneWeb and SpaceX also prove that the sales and services of satellite Internet have played a vital role in the commercialization of the project.
OneWeb, for example, has partnered with The Coca-Cola Company to use its worldwide sales outlets to narrow the distance between satellite Internet and the mass consumer market. SpaceX doesn’t even need to mention it. Musk itself is the chief online celebrity officer, and any tweet can board the global hotspot, bringing him valuable exposure.
And this kind of market innovation strategy that is close to the public is obviously very rare in China. The most recent distance between the people and the satellite may have been the stimulus of “straight down 5 million, 40 million rocket service to take home” in the live broadcast room of a certain anchor.
The lack of market education and innovative marketing will also directly increase the risk of investing in the satellite Internet industry, thereby discouraging many gold owners.
Is 5G not fragrant? Why do you want to go to heaven
After seeing this, everyone must think that this melon is not fragrant, and the technology is just fine. After crushing them in minutes, is it not fragrant to use 5G first?
After all, the broadband coverage rate in the US is not high, and it’s forgivable to watch satellite Internet. Our 4G is so smooth, and 5G is in full swing.
Not to mention that the satellite signal cannot cover indoors, and the densely populated areas cannot be carried. The current smart phones are not equipped with a special receiving device, so don’t be too tasteless.
Even if it can cover the inaccessible places such as the sea and the desert, it is not common for people to figure out. When will the money for launching rockets be earned by communication fees alone? After all, according to the estimates of the American Aerospace Consulting Company, satellite Internet companies can only start to make profits if they have 10 million users.
I really want to use it. I can rent someone else’s satellite. For example, O3b has worked hard for many years, and finally has 12 satellites. Will it be connected to the 3G base station of Malaysia provided by Chinese operators after opening?
So, is it necessary to vigorously develop its own satellite Internet? The answer is, not only should it be built, but also hurry up, as fast as 5G.
Children, do you have many question marks? ? ?
Actually, satellite Internet is like a “Monopoly” game. If you want to win, you need to start step by step.
First of all, in order to make money for future upgrades, should I buy more land right at first? The same is true for satellite Internet. The frequency and orbit resources are the land needed by the satellite. If someone else takes it, then their house will have no place to start.
Because satellite frequencies and orbital resources are shared globally, the two low-orbit satellites must be separated by an altitude of 50 kilometers in accordance with the provisions of the International Telecommunication Union. If a satellite is deployed at an orbital altitude, other companies cannot. Reused. And as long as there is one satellite in orbit in a constellation group, it is equivalent to activating the priority of the entire frequency and orbit.
One pit at a time, so the mega-satellite constellation system that was first built will directly cause the constellation behind to be unavailable, or bring great coordination difficulties.
For example, OneWeb has obtained the right to use the Ku frequency band. Other companies must coordinate with it if they want to use it. The competition between them determines that such communication is bound to be inefficient. If the sky is full of American satellite constellations, if you imagine that picture, does your neck hurt a little?
At present, the overall number of satellite frequencies and orbit resources in my country that have achieved certain international protection status still lag behind the United States. With the increase in demand for frequency, sooner or later, we will expand to space communications, so early construction and early occupation of the pit, this logic is affirmed.
Moreover, satellites are not enough, you have to control them. Without building a satellite Internet, how do you find and solve those big and small pits in satellite management one by one, and count on the United States to write this guide hand in hand?
With the rapid increase in the number of satellites and the increasingly crowded frequencies and orbits, how to effectively manage satellite frequencies and maximize the efficiency of frequency use is related to the industrial competitiveness of satellite communications and is also a key challenge facing satellite management.
During the operation of the satellite constellation, problems such as radio frequency interference will also be encountered. Previously, OneWeb has proposed the Progressive Pitch technology, which gradually tilts and adjusts the pointing angle of the satellite antenna when the NGSO satellite enters a low-latitude area. Eliminate interference with GSO satellites. However, many satellite companies said that their interference avoidance effect is not ideal.
In addition, the cross-border coverage of satellite Internet and global communication features allow orbit satellites to directly transfer dataThe transmission of information to overseas gateway stations for landing, and the resulting complex network communication environment will also bring hidden dangers to national information security. Earlier it was reported that a Russian hacker group hijacked satellite communication links to steal information.
In the area where information technology and aerospace technology meet, how to operate and supervise reasonably requires continuous exploration to form the accumulation effect of technology and experience.
Obviously, the slow development of satellite Internet will also directly delay the precipitation of related industries.
From another perspective, satellite Internet is not only used for surfing the Internet, but also as a satellite-based enhancement system to improve positioning accuracy.
For example, assisting Beidou and other GNSS system satellites to improve their positioning capabilities are also of great significance for the development of autonomous driving and smart transportation construction.
Satellite Internet is not only one of the key projects of “new infrastructure”, but also an important strategic support for other “new infrastructure”. In the short term, my country’s satellite Internet construction will not be a “great leap forward”, but as SpaceX’s “Star Chain Project” speeds up, it will become an option that China’s communications industry will have to choose to get into space as soon as possible.
Stones from other mountains can also be used for jade: What will the Chinese satellite Internet look like?
On the guidance of this trend, everyone may be curious. The satellite Internet with strong commercial taste collides with the science and technology temperament of the Chinese satellite industry. What kind of baby will be born?
There may be no precedent to refer to all over the world, so we might as well deduce logically:
On the one hand, the overseas satellite Internet boom is mainly driven by the commercial sector, which determines that the huge economic benefits will be anchored at the beginning of its projects, and the resulting industrial turmoil and waste of resources will also be paid by society.
For example, OneWeb, a capital achievement, broke the news of bankruptcy because it was unable to raise enough money in the capital market to support the next development.
The satellite launching plan like the “fireworks” of Starchain also caused a collective protest by astronomers because of obstruction of space observation. Although Musk and the Starchain team plan to launch the VisorSat design to help reduce satellite brightness and reduce damage to astronomical images. But SpaceX also emphasized that it is impossible to make satellites that are invisible to optical equipment.
That is to say, SpaceX’s 40,000 satellites project sounds cool and tough, but actually choseBusiness priority and overdraft of social well-being come at the cost.
The construction of China’s satellite Internet may be the same as traditional infrastructure, and more consideration should be given to the attributes of public welfare and benefiting people beyond commercial use, even in remote areas and functions that cannot achieve profitability, such as rural areas in the west, Gobi Desert, etc It will also use the satellite communication system to bridge the digital divide.
To a certain extent, this determines that a very large satellite Internet that is more in line with national interests will be born in the country, realizing a balance between commercial interests and public interests.
Of course, the civilian value of satellite Internet will also be fully activated with the help of Chinese technology companies and operating companies.
According to the forecast of the American Satellite Association (SIA), the market size of the three parts of satellite manufacturing and rocket launching, ground base stations and terminal equipment and satellite communications operations is approximately 7.5%, 44.6% and 47.9%.
Ground systems and terminal equipment that occupy about half of the market share can have a “cross-border effect” with Internet technology companies that are oriented to data and users.
With the power of business innovation, develop end-user-oriented services and create new business models.
For example, the Teledesic system was invested by Bill Gates, OneWeb was originally proposed by Google, and SpaceX’s Musk is a marketing master…The influence of these companies and individuals is the development belt of satellite Internet. Here comes a very high degree of social attention.
The Chinese Internet Industry Corps, which has stood the battlefield and is at the forefront of the world, is not an absolute force for the industrialization of communications satellites.
Boom, failure, resurrection, rebirth, the thirty-year turmoil of satellite Internet may indicate that today’s rise is not a simple historical repetition, but a new situation is brewing.
This time, the stars in the sky turn around, and the world hits the sky.