ROOM
14
Special Report
due to the distance of the spacecraft from the
user and the capital costs of this system would
be the highest of the options, due to spacecraft
manufacturing and launch costs.
Voice of youth
During the annual Space Generation Congress
(SGC) in Israel in 2015 - organised by the UN-
established SGAC every year for students and
young professionals between age of 18 and 35
- students and young professionals representing
14 countries participated in the Space Internet
Working Group which investigated the
possibilities, risks and opportunities of using
satellites, drones and high-altitude balloons to
provide widespread internet access.
The Working Group, supported by NASA Space
Communication and Navigation Office, focused
on one of the barriers for worldwide connectivity
- possible solutions to the lack of economic
viability of providing internet access using land
infrastructure. As a result, the working group
participants proposed several recommendations,
which take into account the numerous challenges
- ranging from acquiring regulatory approval
to technical and practical limitations, such
as the potential for damage to property and
issues related to orbital debris - that come with
developing air and space-based internet access.
The key recommendations are:
Conduct market studies to illustrate demand
• A number of companies are trying to
push forward with their plans for wider
and cheaper internet coverage in the
disconnected parts of the world but one
significant issue identified was whether or not
these remote or disconnected regions can
even afford internet.
• There are often more pressing humanitarian
issues such as lack of clean water and
electricity, and malnutrition. The question
here is how such a system can cater for these
markets when more basic needs are not being
met. The first step towards understanding
this problem would be to carry out market
studies to identify what the potential take-
expensive option by unit coverage because of
ongoing operational costs. Operational efficiencies
that might be gained with the use of artificial
intelligence are still in the future.
LEO satellite constellations are the truly global
option. Depending on the type of constellation in
place, they can cover the whole of planet Earth
continuously. Satellites offer the added benefit of
shorter delay times (as the satellite-to-satellite
and satellite-to-ground data transfer paths are
straight and have few nodes). Flight paths are also
topologically distinguishable, making it easier to
predict locations and then calculate efficient data
paths. However, bandwidths would be smaller,
Without
understanding
the market
need, there is
a high risk of
failure
Platforms at different
altitudes.
OneWeb satellites will be mass produced using fewer
components and lighter weight, making them easier to
manufacture and cheaper to launch. They will include
state-of-the-art onboard GPS sensors and on-board
propulsion systems to help avoid orbital debris and for
end of life disposal.
OneWeb
Satellites
UAVs
FSO
FSO
Terrestrial
