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Bankrupt OneWeb seeks license for 48,000 satellites, even more than SpaceX
SpaceX and OneWeb have asked for US permission to launch tens of thousands of additional satellites into low Earth orbit.
SpaceX's application to launch 30,000 satellites—in addition to the nearly 12,000 it already has permission for—is consistent with SpaceX's previously announced plans for Starlink.
OneWeb's application to launch nearly 48,000 satellites is surprising because the satellite-broadband company filed for bankruptcy in March. OneWeb is highly unlikely to launch a significant percentage of these satellites under its current structure, as the company reportedly "axed most of its staff" when it filed for bankruptcy and says it intends to use bankruptcy proceedings "to pursue a sale of its business in order to maximize the value of the company." Getting FCC approval to launch more satellites could improve the value of OneWeb's assets and give more options to whoever buys the company.
Previously:
SpaceX Approved to Deploy 1 Million U.S. Starlink Terminals; OneWeb Reportedly Considers Bankruptcy
OneWeb Goes Bankrupt, Lays Off Staff, Will Sell Satellite-Broadband Business
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 28 2020, @01:13PM (2 children)
Learn to code.
You will hear rumors that coders command huge salaries of at least six figures. This is a lie. The most you will earn during your coding career is zero. Free open source software is free and open source. Nobody will pay you to write code that everybody can take from you for free. You will die poor.
You will hear rumors that coders are in high demand. This is a lie. There are zero coding jobs and there is no demand for coders. Computer science education and code boot camps are scams designed to waste your time and waste your money on false promises. You will die poor.
You will hear rumors of people who claim to be employed as coders earning six figure salaries. This is a lie. These people are shills who give the illusion of legitimacy to the tech industry. These people are trying to trick you into believing that learning to code will be a lucrative investment. In reality your return on investment will be negative. You will die poor.
The tech industry is based entirely upon fraud. If you are foolish enough to learn to code, if you are cursed to be genuinely passionate about coding, you will be unemployable for life. You will die poor.
Learn to code. Die poor.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 28 2020, @01:26PM
Tell that to Bill Gates.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 28 2020, @01:38PM
This may be true if you ONLY know how to code. Most people need multiple skills in order to be employable.
That said, when I switched from looking for to Python in my job searches, I got a large number of hits and even a few interviews. This is in flyover country.
Obviously, your mileage may vary.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by looorg on Thursday May 28 2020, @02:53PM (4 children)
Seems like the last sentence here is the reason, pump up the company value for whatever potential buyer they have waiting in the background. If that is another company or just some kind of restructuring where the current board forms some new company and buy themselves or whatnot.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 28 2020, @03:02PM
Yes - a massive golden parachute for the remaining stockholders (senior execs of course!). Just need a friendly govt regulator to backdate the check and stamp it through in time. Anyone fancy a trip to Barnard Castle?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by takyon on Thursday May 28 2020, @03:22PM (2 children)
FCC could squash it, knowing the reason.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 28 2020, @03:39PM (1 child)
Not if Pai's brother's part of the buying group.
(Score: 2) by deimtee on Friday May 29 2020, @04:58AM
You mean selling group. If he was part of the buying group he would wait until after purchase before inflating its value.
If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by quietus on Thursday May 28 2020, @03:06PM (2 children)
It took us quite a while to realize putting chemical by-products and waste from manufacturing industries into rivers and streams ain't such a good idea.
Now we're repeating that whole charade, for a pissing contest between companies with a dodgy business model, if any at that. And this is just US companies: the Chinese evidently want in on it too, and so, soon, will every third-world nation and billionaire with a dick problem.
So, 42,000 and 48,000, makes 90,000 announced, for this year alone. We can't have less announcements next year, and the year after that, ofcourse: that would be a bad sign for the economy. So, roughly half a million of the damn things in about 5 years, a conservative estimate. And ofcourse, they'll have completely safe, efficient, and working, de-orbiting technology.
What is it with the Silicon Valley crowd and their fanbois .. do you feel nervous when you can't tweet your so important opinion, for even a couple of days? Do you guys ever get outside, and simply watch the wind ruffle tree leaves? Study a bee visiting a flower, maybe? Can you still do that for longer than 5 minutes, without taking a pic?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 28 2020, @05:37PM (1 child)
Yep, this is depressing news.
Thugh what is with your anger at "the Silicon Valley crowd"? As we've seen over the years this isn't a SV thing, it is the cultural adoption of convenient tech.
(Score: 2) by quietus on Thursday May 28 2020, @06:29PM
I use the Silicon Valley crowd as a shorthand [term] for the belief that all technological progress is inevitably good, and all problems can be solved through technology; technological progress equates to human progress. It smells of a doctrine; the one that led to the collectivisation of agriculture and the Great Leap Forward.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 28 2020, @06:36PM
The FCC, as a representative for the public resource, should be a major stakeholder in this bankruptcy.
Before considering any new space or spectrum resources, there should be a few questions about the current resources.
For the birds in orbit, what is the plan to keep them safe and making productive use of the resources they are using?
For the un-launched allocations already granted, same question.