Using the internet is cool, but how about getting it from a satellite that features a huge antenna? That’s the plan that has the BlueWalker-3 satellite as the star of the show.
AST SpaceMobile, a company based in Texas, is the one responsible for building the new satellite that’s supposed to be lifted into orbit today by a Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX.
Second-brightest after the Moon?
According to NewScientist, the BlueWalker 3 satellite might become the second-brightest object in the night sky. That means that it would be less prevalent only than the Moon and that it would become even brighter than Venus, the current second-brightest object that we can see with the naked eye when the Sun leaves the cosmic scene.
AST SpaceMobile seems very confident in its technology of providing internet access, even in 5G, to smartphones. But obviously, a test is still needed, and that’s why the Blue Walker-3 satellite will go into orbit.
The video’s description says:
AST SpaceMobile, the company building the world’s first and only space-based cellular broadband network, has big plans for the BlueWalker 3 test satellite mission. The 64-square-meter (693-square-foot) spacecraft is designed to connect directly to ordinary mobile phones and other cellular devices from low Earth orbit. This animated video explains how BW3 will launch into space, deploy, and — if all goes well — demonstrate satellite-to-cell phone broadband connectivity for the first time in history. The satellite is currently scheduled to launch in early- to mid-September 2022.
The idea of a satellite taking up too much space in the night sky is certainly not a new one. Many fear that the numerous Starlink satellites that SpaceX lifts into orbit with the same purpose of providing internet connectivity would lead to having too many shining objects above the atmosphere that will even jeopardize the observation of stars, planets, and galaxies by astronomers.
