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0 pointstsimionescu3y ago0 comments

> I think the mammoth price delta over RV is because it'll be usable offshore (starting Q4 this year) and presumably that requires some more complex satellite-to-satellite data exchange (which at a guess they want to limit usage of until it works well.

Sure, just like Tesla Autopilot is right around the corner, Starship will be flying this year, the Cybertruck has been released 2 years ago etc.

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dreamcompiler3y ago

This is different. The problem of providing offshore satcom with LEOsats is a quantified engineering problem. IOW, the industry knows quite well what technologies will solve the problem and Starlink has those technologies in place. The only unknown is how fast, accurate, and reliable the laser-based intersat comms will be.

None of that is true for the self-driving car problem. That problem still contains a multitude of unknowns, including unknown unknowns.

Cybertruck is yet another kind of problem. I don't know what the issue with that is but I'd guess it's about manufacturing capacity.

tsimionescuOP3y ago

> The only unknown is how fast, accurate, and reliable the laser-based intersat comms will be.

Those communications are still an unsolved and hugely difficult engineering problem. It will be awesome if SpaceX has actually achieved this: getting the kind of precision required to communicate over direct laser links between specks of dust hundreds of km apart traveling at thousands of km per hour is no easy feat.

Johnythree3y ago

If the satellites are flying in formation, most link headings will be fixed or change very slowly.

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