DailyDirt: Satellites Looking Down On Us

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Tue, Aug 18th 2015 5:00pm — Michael Ho

It used to be only the people wearing tinfoil hats that were worried about satellites flying above us all the time. However, satellite technology is getting cheaper and easier to access, and more satellites are looking down at us than are looking at the stars. No one should be worried about a bunch of Helicarriers targeting everyone just yet, but we're making progress towards a sky filled with some pretty advanced technology.

China is building yet another GPS network called Beidou. The US has GPS. Russia has GLONASS. The EU has Galileo. Do we really need another one? [url]
Nanosatellites could provide an always-on connection for ground sensors, making disaster relief efforts more efficient and providing tons of useful data. Terran Orbital wants tiny satellites orbiting at 600 km above us to provide reliable (not necessarily fast) wireless connections to all kinds of devices. [url]
Satellite imagery can be used for a bunch of business intelligence services. Retail parking lots can be monitored during prime purchasing seasons. Mining operations and construction projects could be tracked to ensure foreign companies are making the progress they say they're making. (And drones will be spying on everyone!) [url]

After you've finished checking out those links, take a look at our Daily Deals for cool gadgets and other awesome stuff.

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Filed Under: beidou, cubesat, galileo, glonass, gps, nanosatellites, satellite imagery, satellites
Companies: terran orbital

13 Comments

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Reader Comments

The First Word

“

Re: Re: Do we really need another one?

... and shortly after launch, it gets "shot down" by space debris. (See space.com for a good overview.)

Apparently, 2/3 of the tracked debris in orbit has resulted from a 2007 anti-satellite test, and a 2009 collision. Imagine the debris from an all-out attempt to destroy satellites...

Look up NASA's orbital debris mitigation page for an idea of NASA's thoughts on the subject of mitigation.

On the plus side, Waste Management won't put a vehicle in orbital service... nobody wants to pay their surcharge for "distance from road to garbage bin".

—Anonymous Coward

”

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orbitalinsertion (profile), 18 Aug 2015 @ 5:04pm

Do we really need another one?
Yes, we need as many orbital accidents and as much space debris as possible.

Thia has the additional benefit of requiring more ground tracking power to watch the satellites and space junk.

Win/win.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Aug 2015 @ 5:15pm

Re: Do we really need another one?
Maybe Waste Management will launch a garbage truck into low earth orbit.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Aug 2015 @ 5:56pm

In future wars, GPS satellites will be destroyed with precisely-aimed high-intensity laser beams from the get-go, disabling all cruise missiles and "smart" bombs, and forcing countries to fight wars the old-fashioned way.
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JoeDetroit (profile), 18 Aug 2015 @ 6:05pm

More powerful than satellites?
Persistent Surveillance.

Eye in the Sky by Radiolab
The power to do good & evil!

Imagine how powerful this is going to become as the technology matures.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Aug 2015 @ 6:11pm

Do we really need another one?
Of course! Redundancy and decentralization are very good things.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Aug 2015 @ 6:41pm

Re:
You're saying we'll need mobile suits?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Ben (profile), 18 Aug 2015 @ 7:43pm

Re:
disabling all cruise missiles and "smart" bombs
Well, cruise missiles work by inertial guidance (and to a degree, location pattern recognition), not GPS; "smart" bombs work via laser guidance (shine a laser on the target and it follows it in).

The issue with GPS is the fidelity of the signal is controlled by the agency that runs the satellites/network, and if you don't like how they're being run (or the fact that they may stop working when you want them to work), you build your own network. It all depends on how much you are willing to spend.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 18 Aug 2015 @ 8:24pm

Re: Re: Do we really need another one?
... and shortly after launch, it gets "shot down" by space debris. (See space.com for a good overview.)

Apparently, 2/3 of the tracked debris in orbit has resulted from a 2007 anti-satellite test, and a 2009 collision. Imagine the debris from an all-out attempt to destroy satellites...

Look up NASA's orbital debris mitigation page for an idea of NASA's thoughts on the subject of mitigation.

On the plus side, Waste Management won't put a vehicle in orbital service... nobody wants to pay their surcharge for "distance from road to garbage bin".
[ link to this | view in thread ]
TKnarr (profile), 18 Aug 2015 @ 8:29pm

GPS networks
The controlling rule: you don't want critical military infrastructure to be controlled by your opponent. So any country who's not absolutely 100% positive their interests will always align perfectly with those of the US wants their own GPS system that the US can't interfere with or degrade at will. I consider it good, the more GPS networks there are the more redundancy there is and the harder it'll be for anyone to degrade/kill GPS capability without being forced to annoy someone big enough to swat them and willing to swat them.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Sheogorath (profile), 19 Aug 2015 @ 2:14am

Re: Do we really need another one?
But remember the skeleton of the Russian dog up there. :(
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Sheogorath (profile), 19 Aug 2015 @ 2:20am

Re: Re:
Actually, smart missiles can be guided by GPS as well.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 19 Aug 2015 @ 9:42am

How current is the imagery?
...Satellite imagery can be used for a bunch of business intelligence services. Retail parking lots can be monitored during prime purchasing seasons. Mining operations and construction projects could be tracked to ensure foreign companies are making the progress they say they're making...

That only works with current imagery. Unless these companies have access the general public doesn't a lot of publicly available imagery is older than 3 months and can be years old. I watched an Air Force auxillary field bulldozed and developed yet the field still shows up, in some cases superimposed over the new buildings. Another example: I saw imagery of a vacant field where I knew a retail building existed (because I had patronized the retailer); that building did not show up until ten years later!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 19 Aug 2015 @ 8:48pm

Position satellites are pretty distant; I think GPS satellites orbit twice per day or something. I don't think they'll contribute to any "space junk" problems.
[ link to this | view in thread ]