Andrew Gunther

I mean, Low Earth Orbit is smaller than you think. And I would say, without naming names, the jerks are the people who are just launching tons and tons, which is pretty much anybody who's looking to offer satellite-based internet, right? Satellite-based internet takes an absurd number of satellites. It's easy to pick on Starlink because they were the first, but they're not the only.

I mean, Low Earth Orbit is smaller than you think. And I would say, without naming names, the jerks are the people who are just launching tons and tons, which is pretty much anybody who's looking to offer satellite-based internet, right? Satellite-based internet takes an absurd number of satellites. It's easy to pick on Starlink because they were the first, but they're not the only.

And that's going to continue to crowd Low Earth Orbit, which, again, is the most... accessible orbit for people like us. You can't understand an orbit out with accuracy multiple years. These things, they're going to collide at some point. There will be collisions and there have been close calls.

And that's going to continue to crowd Low Earth Orbit, which, again, is the most... accessible orbit for people like us. You can't understand an orbit out with accuracy multiple years. These things, they're going to collide at some point. There will be collisions and there have been close calls.

What's crazy is we actually got a call for one of our sats and they were like, hey, you're going to pass really close to a Starlink satellite. Just heads up.

What's crazy is we actually got a call for one of our sats and they were like, hey, you're going to pass really close to a Starlink satellite. Just heads up.

Us, no. Starlink has some rudimentary propulsion so they can do some stuff. I mean, even the space station had to move to dodge. I think there was like a Chinese satellite where they were like, hey, there's a satellite that we have and you need to move the space station so that our satellite doesn't hit it.

Us, no. Starlink has some rudimentary propulsion so they can do some stuff. I mean, even the space station had to move to dodge. I think there was like a Chinese satellite where they were like, hey, there's a satellite that we have and you need to move the space station so that our satellite doesn't hit it.

Yeah, if you could just like shift altitude control a little bit and like, yeah, just real fast.

Yeah, if you could just like shift altitude control a little bit and like, yeah, just real fast.

I don't know the answer on the space station, but for ours, it was just this like tense hour and a half. Right. Because we get that telemetry down and then it's like, all right, this is the orbit. And so we're sitting there waiting and hope Starlink moves. Yeah. And then like 90 minutes later, we get that ping and we're like, oh, thank God.

I don't know the answer on the space station, but for ours, it was just this like tense hour and a half. Right. Because we get that telemetry down and then it's like, all right, this is the orbit. And so we're sitting there waiting and hope Starlink moves. Yeah. And then like 90 minutes later, we get that ping and we're like, oh, thank God.

Yeah, just game over, right?

Yeah, just game over, right?

Especially for us when it's like one of three, right? That's a 33% reduction in our total capacity, which is like super meaningful to the business. Each of these satellites matters for us. I do have, in terms of the bullies in space, I do have one other very funny anecdote because I have beef with the Vatican.

Especially for us when it's like one of three, right? That's a 33% reduction in our total capacity, which is like super meaningful to the business. Each of these satellites matters for us. I do have, in terms of the bullies in space, I do have one other very funny anecdote because I have beef with the Vatican.

The Vatican has a space program. Fun fact.

The Vatican has a space program. Fun fact.

The Vatican has a space program. You can read all about it. It's called Spy Satellites, funny enough, but it's S-P-E-I. It's Italian. It's Italian. Cut him some slack, but the humor of it is not lost on me. So they actually launched with, they launched on the same rocket as one of ours.

The Vatican has a space program. You can read all about it. It's called Spy Satellites, funny enough, but it's S-P-E-I. It's Italian. It's Italian. Cut him some slack, but the humor of it is not lost on me. So they actually launched with, they launched on the same rocket as one of ours.