This study rigorously investigates the Starlink Project’s impact on Thailand’s legal frameworks, regulatory policies, and national security concerns. Utilising a well-structured online questionnaire, ...we collected responses from 1378 Thai participants, meticulously selected to represent diverse demographics, technology usage patterns, and social media interactions. Our analytical approach integrated binary regression analysis to dissect the intricate relationships between various predictor variables and the project’s potential effects. Notably, the study unveils critical insights into how factors such as age, gender, education level, income, as well as specific technology and social media usage (including laptop, smartphone, tablet, home and mobile Internet, and TikTok), influence perceptions of Starlink’s impact. Intriguingly, certain variables like Twitter and YouTube usage emerged as non-significant. These nuanced findings offer a robust empirical basis for stakeholders to forge targeted strategies and policies, ensuring that the advent of the Starlink Project aligns with Thailand’s national security, legal, and regulatory harmony.
Mega-constellation networks (MCNs) based on low earth orbit (LEO) satellites have become increasingly important with many projects in the design or implementation phase. For those MCN systems with ...inter-satellite links (ISLs), the large number of satellites increases the routing complexity and the required hop-count of ISL paths. This paper aims to provide insights into the topology and routing design in MCNs through the analysis of ISL paths. We propose a theoretical model to explicitly estimate the ISL hop-count between ground users in MCNs with inclined orbits. The spatial distribution properties of hop-count are derived based on the proposed method. Based on an exemplary constellation, that is Starlink, the global distribution patterns of hop-count and the path difference caused by different access satellites are illustrated for the first time. In Starlink, the difference of the paths from different starting satellites can be up to 45 hops. The numerical results show that optimizing the constellation phasing factor can effectively reduce the average hop-count, for both the whole network and specific regional users.
This letter shows the first carrier phase tracking and positioning results with Starlink's low earth orbit (LEO) satellite signals. An adaptive Kalman filter based algorithm for tracking the beat ...carrier phase from the unknown Starlink signals is proposed. Experimental results show carrier phase tracking of six Starlink satellites and a horizontal positioning error of 7.7 m with known receiver altitude.
This letter shows the first acquisition, Doppler tracking, and positioning results with Starlink's low Earth orbit satellite signals. A generalized-likelihood-ratio-based test is proposed to acquire ...Starlink's downlink signals. A Kalman-filter-based algorithm for tracking the Doppler frequency from the unknown Starlink signals is developed. Experimental results show Doppler tracking of six Starlink satellites, achieving a horizontal positioning error of 10 m.
This paper describes the FellWalker algorithm, a watershed algorithm that segments a 1-, 2- or 3-dimensional array of data values into a set of disjoint clumps of emission, each containing a single ...significant peak. Pixels below a nominated constant data level are assumed to be background pixels and are not assigned to any clump. FellWalker is thus equivalent in purpose to the CLUMPFIND algorithm. However, unlike CLUMPFIND, which segments the array on the basis of a set of evenly-spaced contours and thus uses only a small fraction of the available data values, the FellWalker algorithm is based on a gradient-tracing scheme which uses all available data values. Comparisons of CLUMPFIND and FellWalker using a crowded field of artificial Gaussian clumps, all of equal peak value and width, suggest that the results produced by FellWalker are less dependent on specific parameter settings than are those of CLUMPFIND.
Starlink primarily focuses on delivering high-speed, low-latency broadband Internet in remote and rural locations globally. This study aims to investigate the Starlink satellite project’s impact on ...the Internet provider service in emerging economies. A quantitative approach was used, and an online questionnaire was conducted to collect data from a convenience sample of 617 participants in Thailand. Demographic variables (i.e., gender, age, education, status, and income), user behaviour variables (i.e., computer, laptop, smartphone, tablet, wearable device, time, Internet duration, home Internet, and mobile Internet), and social media variables (i.e., Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Youtube) were the independent variables. Binary regression analysis was performed to analyse the data. The findings revealed that the Starlink satellite project’s impact on the Internet provider service in this emerging economy could be described by gender, education, tablet, wearable device, Internet time, Internet duration, Facebook, and Twitter. It is recommended to inform people of the effects of the Starlink satellite project on Internet service providers in developing economies. Satellite Internet access has transformed the expansion of professional development opportunities for those who live in remote, rural, and underserved areas. Due to the lack of terrestrial Internet infrastructure, users of satellite Internet can now access specialised resources that were previously inaccessible. Satellite Internet has also made it possible for people living in remote areas to benefit from opportunities for career advancement and more.
We present an analysis of the evolution of the ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC) and its variability index Vσ during the Starlink launch disaster on 3–8 February 2022 two‐phase geomagnetic ...storm. JPL GIM‐TEC global maps with increased spatial (1° in latitude and longitude) and temporal (15 min cadence) resolution as well as SWARM satellite data have been used in the analysis. Comparison of data for five time periods including Starlink launches with geomagnetic Dst index demonstrates thermospheric mass densities increasing by about 50% during the development of the storm on 3–5 February. A spectrum periodogram analysis is applied on TEC at sunrise and sunset solar terminator (STh) at an altitude h = 300 km. Periodicities in the solar terminator TEC generated waves are estimated as 24 hr, 12 hr, 1 hr, 30 min, 20 min, and 15 min. A significant morning−evening asymmetry resulted in the density anomalies concentrated in a certain—evening—sector of terminator when plasma is shifted to the dusk side forming a global asymmetry.
Key Points
Neutral and electron plasma density at the dawn−dusk terminator increased globally, during the storm on 3–5 February 2022
Sunrise‐sunset Total Electron Content (TEC) oscillation was observed in all cases with asymmetry of morning−evening values with dominant evening magnitude maximizing during the storm
Sunrise‐sunset TEC exhibited oscillation with periods of 24 hr, 12 hr, 1 hr, 30 min, 20 min, and 15 min as extracted from JPL GIM‐TEC global maps
In terms of cataloged debris produced, the anti-satellite test carried out by Russia, in November 2021, at an altitude of about 480 km, leading to the destruction of the old satellite Cosmos 1408, ...was the second worst to date and represented the third worst fragmentation in orbit. It generated more than 1/4 of the cataloged debris produced over 55 years by all such tests and almost twice as many as were produced by all previous Soviet tests. After placing this event in its historical context, this paper analyzes in detail how the evolution of the Cosmos 1408 debris cloud affected the environment below 600 km in the first seven months, focusing on the two operational space stations and the Starlink large constellation of satellites. During the first six months following the test, the Cosmos 1408 cloud of fragments nearly doubled the average flux of cataloged objects on the International Space Station and increased by about 3/4 that on China's Tiangong. In the same period, the Starlink large constellation saw an average increase in the flux of cataloged objects of about 20%. Some orbital planes, the “counter-rotating” ones with respect to the Cosmos 1408 debris cloud, were more affected than others, and the affected planes gradually changed over time, due to the differential precession of cloud and constellation nodes. However, being the Starlink constellation 70 km higher up, the flux of Cosmos 1408 cataloged debris steadily decreased over the period analyzed, due to the cloud orbital decay, reducing to just over a quarter of its extrapolated initial value after seven months.
•A review of ASAT tests as a source of orbital debris was presented.•The impact of the Cosmos 1408 destruction was put into context.•The cataloged debris flux increase on space stations was computed and discussed.•The debris flux increase and evolution on Starlink orbit planes was analyzed.•A moratorium on this type of ASAT tests was recommended, including low LEO.
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