Elon Musk wants to put a million new satellites into space.

[cstamp@mastodon.social]

@Paulatics @sundogplanets Thanks to both of you.

[jfmezei@cosocial.ca]

@Paulatics A satellite's orbit is/was defined as a TLE (Two Line Element) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-line_element_set
One field is a catalog number maintained by NORAD. It is 5 digits as part of the file format. This year, due to increasing number of objects tracked, we reach this limit and people have to start using a new format that has 6 digits (and 4 digit years !).

TLE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two-line_element_set
Catalog Number: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_Catalog_Number

new formats: https://celestrak.org/NORAD/documentation/gp-data-formats.php (much more complex than TLEs)

[dlink@posthat.ca]

@Paulatics @sundogplanets Fantastic. Thank you

[bougiewonderland@freeradical.zone]

@Paulatics @sundogplanets The clerk’s face at times! Even he can’t manage to totally hide his reaction to this!

[bjb@fosstodon.org]

@Paulatics @sundogplanets

The request for approval to launch a million satellites is not so much a request to launch a million satellites as a request for carte blanche for whatever rocket-oriented activities they want to do for the next few decades, without having to ask permission each time.

Apparently they did not give a lot of specific details in their request, that's so they can use the blanket approval for whatever they want.

1/2

[bjb@fosstodon.org]

@Paulatics @sundogplanets

Any satellite with a computer and data link (ie, any satellite) can fit the description of "data centre".

2/2

[clintruin@mastodon.social]

@Paulatics @sundogplanets

Big Thanks!

[paulatics@mstdn.ca]

@bougiewonderland @sundogplanets That dapper fellow is Speaker Pro Tempore Rene Cormier - who in his other life was an actor and stage director. He makes a great audience.

[crovanian@mastodon.social]

@Paulatics why don’t we pin his net worth to these falling satellites and whoever’s field or house they land on wins the Musk Multi-Million Lotto!

[bougiewonderland@freeradical.zone]

@Paulatics @sundogplanets oops, my bad! I hadn’t realized the speaker sat down anywhere but in the Chair!

[paulatics@mstdn.ca]

@bougiewonderland @sundogplanets He is what you might call the deputy/back up speaker. He shares duties with the Speaker and leads Committee of the Whole.