What you're describing is essentially a data version what the Iridium network provides. Iridium is a constellation of 66 satellites at 450 miles up. Unfortunately, when Iridium was launched, forward thinking wasn't part of the plan -- data is stuck at around ancient dialup modem speeds.
There were plans for similar services, such as Teledesic, which went nowhere. I guess that enough land-based internet covers the majority of the target market, so there isn't enough market left over to justify the cost of a high speed satellite data provider. Remember, in LEO orbit, the satellites have to be replaced after about 5 years or so (atmospheric drag, and they run out of booster fuel).
Lower cost to launch via Space-x reusable rockets may change the cost equations though.
Solar powered boosters and spaceodynamic lifting bodies.
If you're talking lasers though, don't forget to factor in the time needed to reacquire a new satellite in once the existing one goes over the horizon. The shorter the orbit, the more often you'd have to do this.
Fuck everything, we're doing five (simultaneous) lasers.
and we are using drones to deliver them, whether you like it or not
Re:A Laser Message from Space
by throwaway_yy2Di on Monday June 23, 2014 @11:43AM
(#7932535)
I actually have zero idea how such a thing could work, which is why I'm asking here. :)
That's not a fundamental limit. Existing satellites have high latency, because they're sited at insanely high altitude -- ~36,000 km (6 earth radii; 120 light-milliseconds (-> 240 ms minimum round trip)). This is for engineering and economic reasons which aren't solid: one, because geostationary [0] orbits allow dumb dishes that can't track moving objects; and two, because it allows small satellite networks -- i.e. one satellite covering a whole continent -- commensurate with the small size of the market.
If instead you had a network of satellites at say 500-1,000 km (unjustified guess), the latencies could be no worse than a direct optical fiber.
edit: Here's a sophisticated diagram, https://i.imgur.com/t1SOVpZ.png
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geosynchronous_orbit#Geostatio...