Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors, is set on making Internet available in Space.
Musk made an announcement on Friday that he wants to use a fleet of satellites to help make an internet connection in outer space possible – part of an effort to eventually stretch connectivity all the way to Mars one day.
Musk told Bloomberg:
“We see it as a long-term revenue source for SpaceX to be able to fund a city on Mars,”
In his recent visit to Seattle Musk said: “One day I will visit Mars.”
Musk didn’t provide any details on how he will make money off the project, however he did say there is a possibility of selling the satellites once the network is developed and properly set up.
GeekWire reported that SpaceX will launch around 4,000 satellites orbiting approximately 750 miles above earth. There are some reports saying that the entire space internet network project could cost SpaceX more than $10 million for the development and a lot more for maintenance.
The plan is to transfer data using the vacuum of the space – the speed of light is faster in the space vacuum compared to through a fiber optic cable. Through R&D Musk wants to develop technology capable of transferring high-speed internet to outer space and lose as little as possible.
The company hasn’t given the project a name so far, and it remains unclear when SpaceX will launch the project.