American startup Aquarian Space has announced its intention to become a broadband Internet provider in space. According to the company’s plan, the first Internet will be held to the moon. If this plan is successfully implemented, then Mars will be next in line – they will also provide access to the network.
Aquarian Space has announced that it has already received funding for its project in the amount of $650,000 from the cryptocurrency investment fund Draper Assosciates. The Foundation has approved a project for a high-speed internet connection connecting the Earth to the Moon. With funding, it will be possible to launch a system called Solnet as early as 2024. And while the project is only being developed, 22Bet Kenya users already have the opportunity to bet on the success of its implementation.
The Solnet system will be based on commercial satellite networks with high data rates up to 100 Mbps, according to the startup’s management. This is more than the average speed in many developed countries of the world.
In addition, it is important that Aquarian Space technologies will be compatible with technologies of other organizations, so integration should be simple and uncomplicated.
Interestingly, many progressive companies are making attempts to conduct the Internet today. However, preference is given mainly to Wi-Fi networks. But there are difficulties here. We decided to find out how realistic it is in principle to do what Aquarian Space has conceived.
The fact is that it makes sense to build a Wi-Fi network where you need to transfer large amounts of traffic, where there are enough users who can consume this traffic. To run a Wi-Fi network, you need electricity and the ability to connect to the Internet – without this, a Wi-Fi network can only be used for communication between its subscribers. It is precisely because of these difficulties that a Wi-Fi network outside the planet Earth seems like a pointless idea – since there is no necessary number of users outside of it who will consume traffic.
It doesn’t exist on the moon. In addition to this, there are other features that make it difficult to conduct a Wi-Fi network there.
The moon is very cold and has no atmosphere. In addition, there is a possibility of strong radio interference when the surface is illuminated by the sun.
A lot also depends on the location of the station. If it is placed on the side of the Moon facing the Earth, it will not be easy to organize communication with the Earth from the back side.
To connect to the Internet, you can conduct a high-speed radio channel between the Moon and the Earth. Then the inhabitants of the station will have access to the terrestrial Internet – maybe not at such a high speed as we are used to, and with a very long delay – a few seconds.
But the resources located on the Moon itself will work quickly. The speed of access to sites with servers on Earth will be good enough, and it will be easy to download a large file – for example, a video. But opening a complex site may not work at all – successive requests will accumulate and a two-second delay will turn into a huge one.
But back to the issue of traffic. Now there is no one on the Moon to consume it, but when flights to the Moon become available to ordinary people, the number of inhabitants of the station can greatly increase. Maybe there will be tourists. Accordingly, traffic volumes will increase.
It turns out that only in this case this idea will be justified, since without those who will consume the Internet, there is no point in conducting it in principle.
