SpaceX takes out massive loans to litter low Earth orbit with Starlinks, running up interest.
Then SpaceX says "If you ignore all of the costs from building the Starlinks, they are making money. Give us your cash so we can further mess up the sky."
Quite the scam.
And while Starlink claims they can bring down defective satelites, a claim I only partially believe timeframe wise, every time one of those many staellites is hit with an asteroid or piece of saterlite, space debris from rockets, more pieces shoot around at a davastating speed, damaging more satellites.
It will never end. These satellite replacements will require tax subsidies...
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuVOM067OOo
For calculations of what happens if the Starlinks' active collision avoidance should be interrupted, I defer to @sundogplanets :
@michael_w_busch @sundogplanets
As I understand the collision avoidance refers to larger objects. Small pieces shoot holes into satellites on the regular and produce more bullet size pieces shooting with incedible speed. The denser the satellite net, the more this happens, the more small pieces shoot in every direction, threatening not only LEO satellites bit those in higher orbits.
Amazon is crowding the lower orbit, a Spanish company announced to crowding lower orbit, ...
Most orbital debris production is the result of collisions between spacecraft and large pieces of them, because there is more mass involved.
Which means that collision avoidance stopping would very rapidly become a very big problem.
@michael_w_busch @sundogplanets
True. It doesn't mean the smaller objects are harmless, esp when it comes to comercial satelliites where cost cutting is standard operation and Musk is infamous for cutting corner on the expense of safety.
Musk is also infamous for milking government grants and exploit via government contracts. Starlink is a very questionable business model and the more satellites are knocked out by fist size bullets and need replacement, cost cutting may be even more prevalent.
Starlinks also sometimes spontaneously explode without any collision being required.
Again due to cost cutting.
Michael Busch
Silkester