[scrollop]

Why are there demarcations towards the poles where the satellite density drops off? Seems Norway, Sweden and Finland have a much lower density of satellites .

[kortilla]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_inclination

In order to cover those northern/southern extremes, more expensive high inclination orbits are required (in the US these are launched from California). They are more expensive because you’re no longer getting the rotational velocity of the earth for free in your orbital velocity.

So for a LEO constellation you want to minimize the launches to high inclinations and keep the bulk in those juicy easterly ones.

[peddling-brink]

My understanding, and I’m not a rocket scientist, is that it’s easier to launch east/west and it costs a lot of delta v to move into a polar orbit.

[xpct]

That's the first thing I noticed as well. Does that mean Africa and South America will have Starlink internet before Scandinavia?

[rolph]

polar orbits are hard, you have to take a big oblique track dipping into the lower lattitudes to run a trajectory that allows you to counter gravity.

the anti collision manuevers are hard as well.

orbits are simpler at lower lattitudes where you run a trajectory, close to parallel to the equator.

[dredmorbius]

Populations are also far lower than at lower latitudes.

This affects both commercial potential (fewer possible subscribers) and bandwidth congestion (dittos). For both you'd want fewer birds in those orbits, and orbital dynamics only strengthen the argument.

[gbalduzzi]

I wanted to ask the same thing.

There are two clearly demarcations both north and south