Interesting topic, Mile High, I see more of an 'evolution' into 'Globalstar II' than a 'replacement'. The cost of launches, etc. might come down a little, but it will always be expensive to the point where they will want to design compatability with existing satellites into the new ones so they don't have the expense of 'starting from scratch' . I think we will see 'replacement' satellites or 'spare' satellites sent up at a regular rate, probably increasing as funds are available. These replacements or spares will be 'Globalstar II' satellites in disguise!! (or perhaps Globalstar III, etc.). Eventually, when enough of the older satellites have been replaced by these spares, we will get a 'system upgrade'. Suddenly, we will have new abilities we didn't have before, (although news and rumors will have leaked out well beforehand I'm sure). So, in other words, I see a steady evolution into Globalstar II,III, etc. that will be a natural process of sending up spare satellites, not a sudden replacement of the whole system with new satellites.
Regards, Dave |
