Broadband Satellite Issues

One of the most interesting aspects of serving broadband from low-orbit satellites is that it brings issues related to space into the broadband discussion. There are two recent events that highlight our new focus on low-earth orbit satellites. The first is a piece of legislation introduced by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and Roger Wicker (R-MS). The legislation is called the Orbital Sustainability (ORBITS) Act. The bill is intended to begin the development of a technology called active debris removal (ADR) that would be used to remove dangerous debris from low earth orbit. Space debris is a problem because as mankind put more objects into orbit that the inevitability of collisions would increase and over time there would be more and more debris. The legislation would fund research into different technologies that can be used to clean debris, with NASA tackling some of the trials. The second event was President Putin of Russia threatening to destroy Starlink and other satellites that are helping Ukraine in the war between the two countries. In September, a Russian diplomat said at the United Nations that satellites could be legitimate military targets. He argued that civilian satellites that provide broadband might be a violation of the Outer Space Treaty that provides for only peaceful uses of satellite technology. Overall, the Earth has become massively reliant on satellite technology. The bigger question raised is if it is worth spending money on satellites that can be destroyed.