It’s a 21st century space race: Amazon, SpaceX and
others are competing to get into orbit and provide
internet to the Earth’s most remote places.
And like the last century’s battle for space
supremacy that was triggered by the Soviet
Union’s launch of Sputnik 1, this one involves
satellites. Thousands of them.
More than a dozen companies have asked U.S.
regulators for permission to operate constellations
of satellites that provide internet service. Not all are
aimed at connecting consumers, but some have
grand and global ambitions.
“The goal here is broadband everywhere,” Amazon
founder Jeff Bezos said at a conference in June.
With half the world’s population — more than
3 billion people — not using the internet , it’s a
huge potential market. And there’s the obvious
benefit on the ground: Not having internet
access makes it difficult or impossible to apply
for many jobs, for kids to do homework, for
people in remote areas to get medical care, and
to participate in the global economy.