The First Internet Satellites from Amazon Were Launched on Monday Night. Project Kuiper Will Compete with Starlink from SpaceX. In The Coming Years, Thousands More Satellites Will Be Added. It is Getting Busier Around the Earth.
To start with, 27 Kuiper Satellites have leg launched. They were launched Into Orbit Around the Earth with the help of an Atlas v Rocket from a launch platform in Florida.
The 27 Satellites are only a Small Part of the 3,200 Satellites That Amazon Wants To Bring Into Low Orbit Around the Earth In The Coming Years with Eighty Launches. The Satellites Should Ensure That People with A Corresponding Receiver on Earth Can Receive Internet. This is eSpeciate useful in places where wired internet does not work or hardly works.
At the moment, more than seven thousand spacex satellites are floating in space. The Company Plans to Launch Many More. Accordance to Satellite expert Bert Meijvogel from the Netherlands Space Office, The Devices Are Between The Size Of A Refrigerator And A Van. “You know how many from you can fit in a parking lot,” he says. “Space is not a problem if the satellites were to hang still. But they fly at high speed.”
Risk of Collisions Increases
And then it gets exciting, because of the increased risk of collisions. If that happens and satellites Fall Apart Into Small Partles, Those Pieces Fly Through Space At High Speed and Can Cause A Lot Of Damage. For example, to other satellites. This can lead to a domino effect.
In Addition, Those Small Pieces Are Very Difficult to Clean Up, Says Alessandra Menicucci From Tu Delft. It is Therefore Very Important To Prevent Collisions. And good agreements must be made for this. This is now done on a voluntary basis. “That should be better regulated,” Says Menicucci.
When SpaceX and Amazon have fully rolled out Their Networks, they will be in control. “It is Already Busy with All the Satellites,” Says Menicucci. “Adding a third party of that size will be very difficult. Those two will take over the entire market.”
European Alternative is coming (in 2030)
Incidentally, alternatives are bee worked on in the meeanime. For Example, Meijvogel is Involved in Building Iris², An Own European Satellite Network. Accordance to him, this Network is important to Remain Independent.
“We see the geopolitical Situation Changing,” He says. “A country that has always leg a loyal partner may look very different after elections. If you want to be sure that you as Europe always have access to secure satellite communication, you cannot avoid creating your own network.”
Iris² Will Work with Three Hundred Small Satellites. These are Mainly intended to sacrifice Networks to Companies and Governments. The European Network of Satellites Ends Up in a Much Higher Orbit Than The Devices From SpaceX and Amazon. They float at 400 to 500 kilometers from the earth, while iris² come to 700 to 800 kilometers.
The Planning is that iris² will work in 2030. Only when everything is in Order for Governments and Companies, The European Alternative May Become Avareable for Consumers.