The US Army is testing Elon Musk’s laser technology, which represents a turning point in communications.
There is no denying that Elon Musk looks favorably on government contracts for his companies. However, none of his companies have shown any particular interest in the military sector, and the truth is that the reverse is also true. This may be changing, as SpaceX’s government division, Starshield, is looking very favorably on the military and vice versa.
In fact, soldiers from the US Army Reserve’s 324th Expeditionary Signal Battalion are testing a communications system from Starshield to improve their communications during military operations. For now, it is just a trial, but if it proves successful, Elon Musk’s company could well become the most important private contractor providing communications to the military.
The reason why the US military is interested in Starshield is because of its laser communication technology. The benefits of Starshield are well known: enormous bandwidth (compared to other systems) and low latency anywhere in the world. This opens the door for army expeditionary units to have access to download speeds of between 300 and 500 Mbps and latencies of just 25 milliseconds in a very small size, with the possibility of deploying it in seconds anywhere on the planet.
Starshield is a game changer in terms of price and size for the military.
Starshield’s technology is far superior to what is currently in use, such as the military’s Satellite Transportable Terminal (SAT), which is much larger than Starshield’s. nbsp;
The SAT system measures approximately 3.6 meters long and 6 meters high, compared to just 60 centimeters for Elon Musk’s technology.
Logically, the military’s specifications are very specific, and the SAT system, although more rudimentary, large, heavy, and slow than Starshield, has been thoroughly tested on the battlefield. Generally, it is precisely reliability in proven situations that tips the balance, so for the moment there are no plans for change, but there are tests to demonstrate the viability of Starshield and make it the benchmark communications system.
Who knows if, in addition to NASA, Elon will also end up becoming one of the largest communications contractors for the US military.
