— Alexander Igorevich, what is this Cosmonet thing which seems to become a “standing dish” in Russian mass media?
— First of all I would like to make an important point: it’s not that journalists were the only ones to get interested in our project. Most recently, a state expert review of the project was held on the initiative of the Ministry of Communications. The review showed high relevancy and nation-wide importance of the project, as well as promising perspective of continuing work on a new data transmission channel and its further space testing as an integral part of the project.
Now, what is Cosmonet itself? Let me cite the document: it is a multifunctional personal communication system intended for global exchange of confidential documentary digital information between subscribers.
What is the project high relevance based upon? First and foremost — on the growing demand of the government and large corporations for global scale information services.
Special emphasis should be laid on space information services estimated at hundreds of billions of dollars on the world market. Our domestic industry, however, is increasingly dependent on foreign suppliers of telecommunication equipment — both ground facilities and communication satellite payload onboard systems. It’s an unacceptable situation for the first-in-space nation.
But let’s get down to our topic. Or, more precisely, to the technical component of the invention. First of all, we should admit that today’s conventional means of communication do not meet the state needs; the needs of the society also grow exponentially in this field. What do we currently have at our disposal? Radio channels? They dramatically limit capabilities of space systems in a number of fields. Fiber optic? Well, its coverage is certainly more powerful, opportunities granted are somewhat ampler. But you must admit that a fiber optic cable is not very handy for long distance routing. Habitable and populated areas might do at the very least, but what about polar regions? Or the Far North? Or recesses of Siberia?
In short, there is a need for something new, for a giant step toward fundamentally new patterns, principles, etc. And it seems like this “something new” is being born in our design office.
What I would like to stress is that I am not talking about modernization of any existing systems. It is about creating crucially new technologies and equipment.
— What are your goals and objectives?
— They are huge. The system will provide global coverage with an area of information services in the near-Earth space up to 40,000 miles. The throughput of the system will be 9.6 Gbps. The subscription means will have the information reception and transmission rate of up to 200 Mbps.
— What will be the package of services offered?
— Key services will include a high-speed batch communication, radio communications, global access to the Internet. The applications of Cosmonet are tremendous. Well, that’s just for instance. Unmanned aviation? With Cosmonet you can control the vehicle from any place on the Earth at any point of the trajectory. Space? Ensure the reception and transmission of command and telemetry information at any point of the trajectory of the spacecraft or launch vehicle. Sea vessels? Service information is received and transmitted from any point of the world ocean. Arctic expedition? They are provided with Internet access in the North and South Pole areas. Any traveler with a special Cosmonet satellite phone system will be able to signal his location and be detected by rescue forces in minutes.
And what about our security services? For some this is a unique opportunity to discreetly and quickly send any amount of any information. For others, say, special units at war, it will probably be an extra opportunity to observe all movements of anyone else in the area of special or combat operations.
I’d also like to add a few words about the technical side of things. Basically, the channel has no effect on existing communication systems. Traditional means fail to detect the very fact of data transmission. If we talk about the specific technical implementation, the future transceiver channel will contain about a dozen of printed boards with an area of not more than 0.01 m2. Power consumption amounts to several watts. Weight equals several kilograms.
And think that Cosmonet is completely compatible with the existing and operating space and ground telecommunication systems.
— What will Cosmonet be like in case of successful completion?
— In low orbit — at about one and a half thousand kilometers — we will create a constellation of 48 satellites. They will surround the entire globe and will act as routers — deflectors of information packages on the given addresses to create a virtual environment.
Therefore, we are talking about the creation of the global information environment on land, in air and in outer space. Of course, this process will require the creation of a new satellite system and the adaptation of the IT architecture and TCP/IP protocols to space conditions. For our team it is very important that in the development of the Cosmonet we relied and continue to rely solely on the domestic or in-house developments. Believe me, our mathematicians, programmers, designers and engineers are sufficiently skilled to create both a new IT architecture of the Internet space, and a new technology to send and receive information on the basis of quasi-equilibrium medium relaxation.
The new technology includes the development of transmitting-receiving radio modem with special software. The radio modem is intended for integration into various user terminals and on-board communication systems. The introduction of new technology will significantly increase bandwidth and reduce power consumption of the receiver-transmitters up to 10 times, as well as eliminate the effect of restrictions on the frequencies range.
The application of these two technologies on the new principles will create the information system of the Cosmic Internet.
We are aware that these revolutionary developments of the “Messenger” scientists are often seen as, to put it mildly, unusual even by technical experts. But here I would like to bring you a curious historical fact. In 1865 in Boston, a Joshua Coppersmith was arrested. He sought funds for the implementation of his invention — a device for voice transmission to a distance. Coppersmith called his invention a telephone. However, the guy was eventually locked up, and a local newspaper, The Boston Post published a devastating article, which advised readers not to be led by speculators. They said that all educated people were well aware that “transmission of voice over the wire is scientifically unexplainable and impossible”. Now the phone is an ordinary household appliance. I am sure that the Cosmonet story will be somewhat similar to that one.
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