David P. Reed <dpreed@deepplum.com> wrote:
    > 1. I'm really curious how well Starlink's bent-pipe architecture
    > actually works in a context like Ukraine where fiber and copper
    > infrastructure are vulnerable and less redundant than in a place like
    > the UK. I'm not so worried about the dishy's working or being
    > targeted. They can be moved and disguised. What is not being discussed
    > here (or anywhere) is where the ground stations that the traffic must
    > *all* traverse are, and the fact that they are Single Points of
    > Failure, and must be nailed down in places which are close enough to
    > the dishy they serve, and also fiber-backhauled into the Internet. This
    > is a serious technical issue that interests me, mostly because Starlink
    > doesn't publish its technical specs.

Given the discussion abotu Tonga, I wondered this as well.

Could one have grond stations that just acted as relays... more bent pipes
essentially on the ground.  Some kind of super-dual-dishy.
As I write this, the snake version of the NASA comes to mind as a shape :-)

    > Now Poland and Moldova are potential sites that might cover part of
    > Ukraine, but certainly not that far into the country.

Agreed.
This is where the laser stuff would actually be super valuable.

(Former co-chair of IETF ROLL WG.  I think RFC6550 might do well in space,
but I suspect an SDN approach using a PCE would be better)

--
Michael Richardson <mcr+IETF@sandelman.ca>   . o O ( IPv6 IøT consulting )
           Sandelman Software Works Inc, Ottawa and Worldwide