M Paquette
Moderator Emeritus
Didn't wanna start a new thread on something that may just be daydreaming, but the 2015 timeline for the project said"Don't ignore this".
Free Internet for the whole world? 2015? OMG...
If for no other reason, just because it's there... on the internet, so it MUST be true.
OUTERNET
New York company says it can beam free OUTERNET Wi-fi to every person on Earth | Mail Online
Uh huh... They seem to have missed a few bits.
Doppler shift: The frequency shift as a low orbit satellite (like a CubeSat) moves from horizon to horizon will cross multiple WiFi channels. Swapping channels in mid-transaction is a big ole FAIL.
Pesky speed-of-light delays: It takes time for a signal to move from ground to even low orbit, or orbit to ground. More time than the WiFi protocol requires that a packet be acknowledged in.
So, they can't use the WiFi equipment or protocol stack. That right there moves them out of the 'for free for everyone WiFi' business.
They are proclaiming that what they'll really do is broadcast data, that is, they'll send out a constant stream of digital information one-way, and your data receiver will collect that data and eventually assemble a self-consistent block that can be peeled apart for content. I suppose this might work for delivering a sort of 'newspaper' of content that remains fixed for some period of time, which is about all that they call for in their short term deliverables.
You'll need a compatible receiver and processing gear for your downlink station. Amateur radio operators routinely assemble CubeSat ground stations. They aren't pocket-sized, though. Remember that you are trying to receive a weak signal from a little CubeSat that is moving in low earth orbit, crossing the sky in a matter of minutes. You'll need a steerable antenna and tracking system. That means azimuth and elevation rotors, and a soft realtime tracking system (Debian LINUX on a laptop works well as a starting point for this.) You'll also need the UHF receiver and signal processing setup.