SpaceX is planning to bring the Internet to space. With this Elon Musk has an eye on the future. If a colony is set up on Mars, for example, the Internet twill be the primary means of communicating with Earth.
FCC forms show that SpaceX reps met with Chairman Ajit Pai on March 9, and that during the meeting SpaceX “discussed the advances in launch, spacecraft and ground technology that will permit large constellations of highly-intelligent satellites to provide high-speed, reliable and affordable broadband service to consumers in the U.S. and around the world.”
The SpaceX plan, if approved, is to have 4,425 satellites in non-geostationary orbit traveling in a tightly choreographed ballet 700 miles above the surface of the Earth. The Federal Communications Commission has yet to comment on the proposal.
In related space transportation news, the South China Post has reported that China is similarly developing ways to lower space transportation costs. This is via a system designed to recover parts of rockets used in space launches to bring down costs and make its space program more commercially competitive.
Agencies/Canadajournal