Elon Musk, already pushing SpaceX in space and Tesla in cars, has filed the first permit request for a global internet network of thousands of satellites. SpaceX told the US Federal Communications Commission it wants to place more than 4,000 solar-powered communications satellites around Earth for continuous, fast connectivity.
Musk first floated the idea under Tesla in early 2015, and the pitch helped bring Google in with a $1 billion investment. As battery and solar work for vehicles ramped up, he also sharpened the internet plan, saying it would take at least five years and about $10 billion.
How the bandwidth would be used is still open. The company could link Tesla cars worldwide, support SpaceX vehicles aimed at Mars, lend capacity to projects like internet.org, or sell broadband wholesale to other providers.
According to GeekWire, the first phase would put roughly 800 satellites in orbit. Once that core network proves reliable, the constellation and its uses would expand quickly.
