Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Loral Space & Communications -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Thomas who wrote (4172)	8/8/1998 2:50:00 PM
From: Drew Williams	Respond to of 10852

I copied the blimp article into the AOL Motley Fool Loral board, and Readware answered the following: --- Speaking of high places, I was sent an email attachment on the proposed HALE (High Altitude Long Endurance") platforms, "blimps in the sky", that are now making their way into the public press apparently. This is not a new proposal. A HALE is like a GEO, but in low earth orbit (20 kilometers high). It is envisioned as operating like a stationary communications tower. It can provide coverage across a service diameter of 480 kilometers of 181,000 square kilometers. Power issues have moved from the piston-based prototype to optimized solar cell platforms. It is held that each HALE has a 4-6 month life. Two HALEs in a location, however, have to alternate for for operational capacities. The estimated capacity in that regard is one week at a time. For reasonable coverage, some 1,000 of these artifices will have to be in orbit globally. There are many technological issues. The HALE has limited application in most of the world-- cost is held to be its advantage. That, however, emerges as an issue only if satellites are not already deployed to cover the area for which a HALE is being deployed. Perhaps there will be some variation of this proposal, but as a threat to satellite systems? I think the proposal speaks for itself.