Using ground relays with Starlink
Why Hacker News recommends it
Cited in Starlink latency debates as a clear visual analysis showing sub-100ms latency is plausible even without inter-satellite links.
What it is
Mark Handley of UCL explains, with simulation visualizations, how early Starlink satellites without inter-satellite links could still give low-latency wide-area communication by hopping via ground relays. He shows it can beat fibre on many long paths.
Recommended by 5 HN commenters across 2 different months, 2020 to 2020.
What Hacker News said
Strong rec sneak · 2020-06 · on “Realtime Starlink Satellite Map”
You don't need inter-satellite links for low latency, as Mark Handley has elegantly pointed out in his incredible video. I don't think internet access will amount to even 50% of the revenue of Starlink. [this video]
Strong rec thamer · 2020-10 · on “Starlink Packet Routing”
I would highly recommend the video linked from this article: [this video] It's a simulation of the various ways in which the Starlink network could be arranged to route between satellites and ground stations; very detailed and super interesting.
Recommends gadders · 2020-06 · on “SpaceX Starlink is now its own ASN and present at the Seattle Internet Exchange”
This [1] is a good youtube explanation of how a hybrid between Starlink and ground stations could still improve connectivity: [1] [this video]
Recommends cagenut · 2020-06 · on “FCC has “serious doubts” that SpaceX can deliver latencies under 100ms”
If you want a really great visualization and latency estimates for starlink check out the models and videos this guy came up with: [LINK] [this video] The comment from the FCC about it not accounting for "processing [&] routing" is kindof nonsense on its face, those are not novel problems they're already done by ever other router and switch, including several other satellite networks.
Recommends sneak · 2020-06 · on “Realtime Starlink Satellite Map”
The orbital planes top parts are all up there at high latitudes. The circle you are seeing is actually made up of several different orbital planes that swoop down toward/past the equator and then up/down to 60 degrees N/S. Seeing them move will make it clearer. Here’s an awesome visual explanation with a ton of other cool info: [this video]
Recommends sacred_numbers · 2020-06 · on “Realtime Starlink Satellite Map”
A ground station doesn't have to actually be on the ground. They could park a boat in the ocean between London and NYC with equipment to act as a repeater. This YouTube video (along with others on this channel) does a good job of explaining how this could work. [ [this video] ]
Cites mhandley · 2020-01 · on “Starlink Is a Big Deal”
These first satellites don't have the free-space lasers I modelled in that paper, but my simulations show they can still beat fibre on many paths without inter-satellite links, by relaying via groundstations: [this video] Later satellites will have inter-satellite links, but probably not till near the end of this year, and most of the first phase will already be deployed by then.
Cites mhandley · 2020-02 · on “Network topology design at 27,000 km/hr”
Elon Musk has stated that until they have inter-satellite laser links deployed, they can get wide area low latency communications by relaying via ground stations at a high slant angle. I built a simulator and ran an analysis of this, and actually it works pretty well. My video analysing all this is here: [this video]