Re:Unhappy Elon Musk went on firing spree over slow satellit...
by foxyv on Wednesday October 31, 2018 @02:32PM
(#18348154)
These are low orbits that degrade quickly without maintenance. Kessler Syndrome will not be a problem because the atmosphere will slowly eat everything. That's how they get the low 50ms ping. Geostationary orbit where Kessler may theoretically become a problem in the future is 240ms round trip for light.
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Re:Unhappy Elon Musk went on firing spree over slow satellit...
by ryanmercer on Wednesday October 31, 2018 @04:00PM
(#18348802)
>These are low orbits that degrade quickly without maintenance
With, if I'm not mistaken, other satellites already in that general area.
The Kessler effect doesn't have to persist for years or centuries, a single failure can easily cascade and take out most, if not all, satellites occupying that general space before the debris deorbits.
Unless he's changed the figure, he intends to put 11,925 satellites into orbit for the network in low earth orbit, there are currently about 15,000 cataloged objects in that orbit (including debris).
It isn't a certainty but it's still a risk.