NASA researching 'nanosats' for orbiting 5G space network
Sarah Connor never easier to find
NASA's Ames Research Center is teaming with the often sinister-sounding Machine-to-Machine Intelligence Corporation (m2mi) to create a global networking system using small satellites they call "nanosats."
The two organizations intend to develop swarms of spacecrafts weighing between 11 and 110 pounds, which will be placed in low Earth orbit to create a commercial telecommunications and networking system.
NASA said it will contribute its expertise in nanosensors, wireless networks and nanosatellite technology to the project, while m2mi offers its software, sensors, and "global system awareness" technologies.
"NASA wants to work with companies to develop a new economy in space," said NASA Ames Center Director Simon 'Pete' Worden. "m2mi has great technology that fits excellently with our goals, while enhancing the commercial use of NASA-developed technologies."
The organizations say their nanosats will be developed with a fifth generation (or 5G) communication system — which includes VoIP, video, data, and wireless transmissions. Meanwhile us Earth dwellers are scraping it out a full G behind at best.
According to the release, the system "will provide a robust, global, space-based, high-speed network for communication, data storage, and Earth observations."
As you may have come to expect in a NASA announcement, there's no launch date, price tag, or estimated time until the network achieves self-awareness specified. ®
COMMENTS
I hope they've done their sums right.
What killed the previous systems (Globalstar, Iridium, ICO) was the expectation that people in the undeveloped world would pay $3 a minute for a phone call. This totally ignored the fact that most of these people didn't earn $3 a week.
Now the value of voice, which is still 80% of the business is tending to almost free with fixed rate plans.
Can you support the cost of a LEO network on $20 per subscriber per month?
It will have to have h big ugly phones and antennas and they won'tt work indoors which is where nearly 90% of calls are made,
I don't think so.
Simon
@ J. Cook
They couldn't use the name Skynet, 'cause there already is one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skynet_%28satellites%29
Uh-oh.
Offshore
"Can anyone tell me if there's a place left on this planet that does NOT have Mobile Phones or Wi-Fi............YET?"
Not been on an oilrig then? Bit out of range for those types of signals.
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