THE CURRENT STATE AND FUTURE OF SPACE INTERNETTHE SPACE GENERATION PERSPECTIVE

33rd Space Symposium, Colorado Springs

INTRODUCTION

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Working group purpose: Investigate possibilities and risks of using satellites, drones, and high altitude balloons to provide widespread access to internet

- Internet increasingly viewed as a basic commodity - Non-traditional space companies eyeing the opportunity to offer "sky-fi” - New potential technological ideas - Emerging policy implications

BACKGROUND - Primary method of global connectivity historically delivered through deep-sea fibre-optic links - Extensive network connecting continents - Local networks established through wi-fi, cellular and satellite communications - Almost 4 billion people left without internet access

GLOBAL CONNECTIVITY CHALLENGES - Infrastructure costs are strong barrier to connectivity compounded - Expense of connecting widely dispersed populations over large areas - National infrastructure underdeveloped, unable to fulfil demand - Further made difficult by lack of required adjacent infrastructure, such as electricity - Issues of demand given lack of basic services

CONTEXT - Companies like Google and Facebook working to use drones and balloons to provide internet access - SpaceX and OneWeb propose to do the same with satellites - These approaches have raised technical, regulatory and policy questions

TECHNOLOGIES AND NETWORK APPROACHESTechnologiesRF- Tens of Giga-Hertz

Optical- Tens of Tera-Hertz- EDRS

Network Approaches- Discrete Morse Theory- Topological Data Analysis- Quantum Satellite Networks (QKD)

The solutions to global networking challenges likely combine multiple technologies

BALLOONS – PROJECT LOON- Portable, easy to deployInexpensive, but frequently replaced

- Short range- Many individual nodes- Increases networking complexity

DRONES – FACEBOOK AQUILA- Rapid response- Emergency services usage

- More expensive than balloons- Many nodes → complicates networking

SATELLITES – LEO/MEO CONSTELLATIONS- Long range- Large coverage area- Global relay network

- High initial costs- R&D and launch availability bottleneck

RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS1. Conduct market studies to identify key demand areas

2. Institute a phased approach of network and ensure technical/commercial viability

3. Let governments serve as anchor users and help expedite regulatory processes

4. Provide future connectivity to ISPs to ensure commercial sustainability

THANK YOU!Authors:Laszlo Bacsardi – University of West HungaryRoger Birkeland – Norwegian University of Science and TechnologyAndreas Hornig – University of StuttgartBrandon Morrison – Durham UniversityMansoor Shar – International Space UniversityYevgeny Tsodikovich – Tel Aviv University

IMAGE CREDITS

www.rack.1.mshcdn.comwww.nasa.govwww.spacetoday.org/images/Sats/MilSats/DSCS_SatInSpaceLockheedMartin.jpghttp://www.theinquirer.net/IMG/229/314229/facebook-aquila-drone.jpgmedia.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/shrinknp_800_800/p/5/005/09c/39e/375516e.jpgwww.google.comwww.facebook.comwww.spacex.comwww.oneweb.world