After Starlink, OneWeb and Amazon, Boeing will also launch its own constellation of satellites

Rémi Bouvet November 05, 2021 at 10:25 am © The Verge

Boeing will deploy a constellation of 147 satellites to provide high-speed Internet access. Most of these satellites will be positioned at an altitude of around 1,000 km.

Make way for the Boeing constellation

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) finally gave its consent to Boeing and validated a license “to build, deploy and operate a constellation of satellites”. The American company will thus be able to deploy 147 satellites in the coming years in order to provide Internet access.

Of course, Boeing's plan, first proposed in 2017, is nothing new today. It is in line with Starlink from SpaceX, Kuiper from Amazon or OneWeb. Moreover, in 2019, Elon Musk reportedly expressed his concerns to the FCC about the Boeing project which, according to him, threatened to increase the risk of collisions between satellites and cause interference – rather ironic when you consider that his own Starlink network could cause many risks of collisions in the future.

132 satellites placed at an altitude of 1,000 km, 15 between 27,000 and 44,000 km

In practice, most Boeing satellites will operate at a different altitude from those of SpaceX (which orbit at around 550 km). Indeed, of the 147 Boeing satellites, 132 will be positioned at an altitude of approximately 1,000 kilometers (1,056 km precisely); the other 15 will be located much higher, at altitudes between 27,355 and 44,221 km.

Regarding the frequency band, the FCC statement states that "today's order approves Boeing's application for a fixed-satellite service system in non-geostationary orbit using frequencies in portions of the V-band ( bands 37.5-40, 40-42, 47.2-50.2 and 50.4-51.4 GHz), and to operate inter-satellite links (ISL) using frequencies in parts of the V band ( band 65-71 GHz). V band allows faster transfer speeds than Ka and Ku bands. However, the waves have more difficulty penetrating solid objects at these frequencies and are therefore more prone to interference.

Entire fleet deployed by 2030

In any case, Boeing aims to offer "communication and high-speed Internet services to residential, government and business users" located in the United States, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands during the deployment of the network. , then globally thereafter.

Finally, in terms of timing, the FFC gave Boeing six years to launch half of its constellation of satellites and nine years to deploy the entire network. The American company wanted a 12-year window to launch the entire constellation; claim denied by FCC.

Sources: The Verge , Reuters , FCC