In the next day or so I need to force myself to read Yet Another Stupid Fucking Orbital Data Center filing, because I have to write a comment to the FCC so that it's on file that astronomers hate it.
This one called "Stampede" from a company named Cowboy Space. I hate *everything* about this. I'm not even going to link to any news stories about them because they're all so horrible. A sun-synchronous terminator orbit is where satellite companies want Kessler Syndrome to start, apparently.
I have to read this fucking terrible FCC filing. As I've done before, I need to swear a lot to get through it.
Document starts by setting up how "AI is so important!!" without actually defining AI, of course. Then noting that AI data centers are super polluting and uses a huge amounts of electricity. I suspect this is the one and only point I will agree with in this whole document.
Oh FUN, Cowboy Space was "founded in 2024 by Chief Executive Officer Baiju Bhatt, the billionaire co-founder and former co-CEO of the financial services platform Robinhood. Inspired by his father's work as a scientist at NASA’s Langley Research Center..."
Dude, if your dad is an astronomer, he would be totally disappointed in you for destroying the sky and the atmosphere for this shit.
Nice, they specifically cite going to space as a way to bypass permits. The ultimate in greenwashing! We are outside the environment, so this is environmentally friendly! (As long as you ignore the mining, building, atmospheric pollution from launching, and burning everything up in the atmosphere in a few short years at the most).
Oh gosh they are using NVIDIA's "Vera Rubin Module" which I wish Vera Rubin's family would sue them for naming it after her.
20,000 satellites in terminator sun-synchronous orbits between 700-1000km altitude. Exactly the same orbits as the other 3 companies that already filed for tens-hundreds of thousands of satellites! Kessler Syndrome, here we come
They're also trying the trick where they say they'll use laser links instead of radio, so hey look! Nothing to regulate! (The FCC only has regulatory power because of radio broadcasts. While the FCC sucks, having NO regulation is far worse)
They've got a whole list of waivers. So that they can "better serve the public" of course! Not to weasel out of the only teeny tiny bits of regulation that exist.
Don't make this poor company that proclaimed proudly that they are owned by a billionaire post a bond! That would be unfair! Also don't put any time limits on launch. Totally unfair!
Also no rules on radio usage. They totally promise they won't abuse it!
Prof. Sam Lawler
Bruce Acton 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦