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allegorical oracle

(5,172 posts)
Sun Jun 22, 2025, 10:33 AM 23 hrs ago

The Chinese just majorly surpassed Musk's Starlink network

In a stunning leap forward for space technology, Chinese scientists have achieved an unprecedented breakthrough in satellite communication, using a laser as weak as a nightlight to outpace the speeds of Starlink. Operating from an altitude of 36,000 kilometers—more than 60 times higher than SpaceX’s Starlink network—this Chinese satellite has demonstrated a level of data transmission far superior to what Starlink can offer, pushing the boundaries of what many thought possible.

At the heart of this success is a 2-watt laser, which was able to transmit data at an astounding 1 Gbps. This speed is five times faster than Starlink’s capabilities, which are limited to a few megabits per second despite operating at a lower altitude of around 550 kilometers. According to Interesting Engineering, the laser, though faint as a candle’s glow, managed to push data through Earth’s turbulent atmosphere, overcoming a challenge that has long plagued satellite communications: atmospheric turbulence.

https://dailygalaxy.com/2025/06/china-strikes-hard-chinese-satellite-pulverizes-starlink-with-a-2-watt-laser-36000-km-from-earth/e.

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The Chinese just majorly surpassed Musk's Starlink network (Original Post) allegorical oracle 23 hrs ago OP
Yes, but have they heard what Trump is going to do to our toilets and shower heads? newdeal2 23 hrs ago #1
But his flagpoles are 88 ft. tall.... allegorical oracle 21 hrs ago #7
MAKE ASBESTOS GREAT AGAIN ! PhilG 20 hrs ago #8
😆 Duppers 10 hrs ago #10
LEO easier to deorbit Johonny 23 hrs ago #2
Speed is not everything - latency is a big deal hueymahl 23 hrs ago #3
The Chinese are on their way to being the only superpower in this world JI7 23 hrs ago #4
And we are... 2naSalit 22 hrs ago #6
A "few megabits per second"?? Disaffected 22 hrs ago #5
I would be far more comfortable using Chinese technology ToxMarz 20 hrs ago #9

newdeal2

(3,002 posts)
1. Yes, but have they heard what Trump is going to do to our toilets and shower heads?
Sun Jun 22, 2025, 10:35 AM
23 hrs ago

And how we're going to get asbestos back?

Johonny

(23,964 posts)
2. LEO easier to deorbit
Sun Jun 22, 2025, 10:36 AM
23 hrs ago

I don't think you want a constellation the size of starlink 60 times higher...

hueymahl

(2,808 posts)
3. Speed is not everything - latency is a big deal
Sun Jun 22, 2025, 10:44 AM
23 hrs ago

And satellites that high have latency that makes them unusable for many purposes. Still a cool technology advancement.

Disaffected

(5,691 posts)
5. A "few megabits per second"??
Sun Jun 22, 2025, 11:31 AM
22 hrs ago

Here's the actual Starlink individual satellite capacity:

Satellite Model Approx. Total Bandwidth
V1 / V1.5 ≈ 20 Gbps (usable ~15 Gbps)
V2 Mini ≈ 80–100 Gbps
V3 (planned) ≈ 4 Tbps (4,000 Gbps)


Doesn't sound like "pulverizes" to me.

ToxMarz

(2,462 posts)
9. I would be far more comfortable using Chinese technology
Sun Jun 22, 2025, 01:35 PM
20 hrs ago

than anything with Musks fingerprints on it.

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