
No Job Is Too Small for Compact Geostationary Satellites - stn8188
https://spectrum.ieee.org/aerospace/satellites/no-job-is-too-small-for-compact-geostationary-satellites
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runninganyways
Isn't it more expensive to launch a geostationary satellite? If their big
thing is communication how are they going to compete with Starlink (which
isn't geostationary btw)? How is it profitable for anyone to dream of
competing with Starlink at this point. I am a layperson but it seems like game
over unless Rocket Lab finds a way to compete.

The article only mentioned communications satelites and I don't think anyone
is going able to beat Starlink in that area in the next 5-10 years.

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6nf
You can't compete with Starlink from GEO, the latency to GEO is just too high
- around 250ms - which is ok for some purposes but pretty crap compared to
ground fiber or Starlink.

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acvny
People add garbage to the orbit before thinking how to remove it. As with
anything new actually. Do first and think how to undo later

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ggm
My belief is that (within limits) the rule about smallsats and LEO is
different: you don't need planned de-orbit because they have short persistence
due to drag and almost no significant hit-the-ground risk because they burn
up.

GEO has to have de-orbit burns or parking orbit. Different. And it is governed
by law, within the limits.

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Rebelgecko
FWIW, junk in LEO can still remain for dozens or even hundreds of years.

Most satellites also don't burn up completely. At least in the US, the current
standard is that the odds of a casualty in case of uncontrolled reentry are
less than 1 in 10,000. I think that as we see a proliferation of LEO
constellations with tens of thousands of smallsats (some of which are almost
surely going to be operated by companies that go bankrupt), that standard is
going to bite someone in the ass.

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kohtatsu
I think 1 in 10,000 is high, there's a lot of land out there, and sea.

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kaffeemitsahne
It almost seems like you would have to try really hard if you want a 0.0001
chance of hitting a person on deorbit.

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techcolombia
I definitely felt that before at my previous work

