In relation to "In communications that’s a round trip difference of about .25 seconds... it prohibits major applications such as online video gaming.", it is interesting and sad to accept that even the speed of light/EMR isn't fast enough. What is this universe coming to??
So, these small satellites have the ability to adjust their positions with their gas powered micro-thrusters. How can thrusting be so well controlled as to not cause the satellites to rotate and/or spin? That is, wouldn't every thrust need to be exactly on and aligned with a center-of-mass axis in order to avoid rotations? Or, are rotations ok for a while, and then corrected at the destination? Or, am I missing something?
Thats correct! The thrust of each propulsion system is very well understood, as are the dynamics of the spacecraft, such that all maneuvers are performed with extremely high accuracy! There will also be thrusters on multiple sides of the spacecraft and facing different axes so that you can create the translational or rotational movement that you want.
Super fascinating as always. What do you think the maximum satellite carrying capacity of LEO is before occasional collisions become an unavoidable risk of doing business?
Thank you Henry! While we are starting to experience somewhat regular near-collisions that trajectory adjustments, I think theres we're still pretty far from maxing out on room in LEO. It's just that as we fill it more, we need to get much more precise and automated at managing all the spacecraft which will allow us to increase the traffic safely.
In relation to "In communications that’s a round trip difference of about .25 seconds... it prohibits major applications such as online video gaming.", it is interesting and sad to accept that even the speed of light/EMR isn't fast enough. What is this universe coming to??
Haha, some laws aren't meant to be broken... at least not yet!
So, these small satellites have the ability to adjust their positions with their gas powered micro-thrusters. How can thrusting be so well controlled as to not cause the satellites to rotate and/or spin? That is, wouldn't every thrust need to be exactly on and aligned with a center-of-mass axis in order to avoid rotations? Or, are rotations ok for a while, and then corrected at the destination? Or, am I missing something?
Thats correct! The thrust of each propulsion system is very well understood, as are the dynamics of the spacecraft, such that all maneuvers are performed with extremely high accuracy! There will also be thrusters on multiple sides of the spacecraft and facing different axes so that you can create the translational or rotational movement that you want.
Super fascinating as always. What do you think the maximum satellite carrying capacity of LEO is before occasional collisions become an unavoidable risk of doing business?
Thank you Henry! While we are starting to experience somewhat regular near-collisions that trajectory adjustments, I think theres we're still pretty far from maxing out on room in LEO. It's just that as we fill it more, we need to get much more precise and automated at managing all the spacecraft which will allow us to increase the traffic safely.