Musk intends to build a global WIFI. Can his extravagant hopes come true?

Musk's "Starlink" constellation plan is ambitious. He plans to deploy a constellation of 4,425 small communication satellites in the orbit from 1 150 km to 1350 km, claiming that it can provide network access for the wilderness without internet coverage. This plan sounds scary, knowing that the number of 4425 satellites in the "Star Chain" network is more than twice that of the normal satellites in the world! Why did Musk, a rocket launching service provider, build a communication constellation? Can his grand plan make money?

Musk's Falcon 9 rocket was very successful, but there are still hidden concerns behind the success: traditional commercial launches mainly focus on space station missions in low Earth orbit and communication satellites in high orbit. The US government intends to abandon the International Space Station after 2024, and the freight and passenger transport contracts after 2025 are no longer expected; With the launch of traditional large-scale communication satellites, there are not many contracts that Musk can grab.

After all, you, Musk, have occupied more than half of the international commercial launch market. How much can I grow in the future? The career has encountered a bottleneck, and Musk has faced up to the difficulties: since there is no demand for launching, then I will create demand. You see, my iridium Next II and OrbComm's LEO communication satellites can both make money. Europeans are still using 4G/LTE technology to build the O3b communication constellation in the middle orbit. I will build the communication constellation. Putting aside the feelings of providing network access for underdeveloped areas and finding a market for their rockets is one of the main considerations for Musk to build a low-orbit Internet constellation.

Whether the star chain can be successful remains to be tested by time. If it can grow like Falcon 9, it will seriously impact the communication market. There are still technical challenges in the "Star Chain" project, but these challenges can be overcome with technological progress. The greater difficulty of the "Star Chain" plan lies in funds, but it is foreseeable that just as the commercial freight contract of NASA made Musk out of the predicament, the huge contract of the US government, especially the US military, will also promote the growth of the "Star Chain" constellation. Falcon 9 rocket hit the commercial launch market. If the "Star Chain" constellation can not only profit from pure commercial income, but also develop to impact the traditional communication market, then its future is really limitless.