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   7666 (7666@comp.lain.la)'s status on Thursday, 23-Jul-2026 11:17:24 JST 7666

   in reply to

   • myrmepropagandist
   @futurebird current completely valid conspiracy theory is that the phased arrays being used on the radios on starlink satellites could be repurposed into synthetic aperture radars (yeah, you don't think it was just for internet, do you?) which would then be preprocessed by direct laser links to processing nodes (the so called datacenters in space) from the satellites, and then actionable intelligence beamed down to the surface. the addressable military market for 100% geospatial imaging 24/7 processed by AI would be absolutely insane.
   
   this image attached was taken with no camera lens whatsoever by using a real synthetic aperture radar, which is a phased radar array technology. phased radar is not new, being used for the past 50+ years, but the processing capability to do new things with it beyond just "did someone fire a missile at me" is what's now in reach.
   
   and what do you know? phased array systems exist on starlink already! notice any similarities between image 2 and 3, maybe?
   
   i'm not insane, YOU'RE insane.
   • Blurry Moon likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     myrmepropagandist (futurebird@sauropods.win)'s status on Thursday, 23-Jul-2026 11:17:26 JST myrmepropagandist

     ... so ... I'm kind of scared to ask. But.

     There is this idea of "data centers in space" and everyone is arguing about "can it be done?" but... can someone please tell me WHY you'd want to do this?

     In my sci-fi story there is a data center in space and it is up there because it's illegal and doing very bad things. But... that's not it, is it?

     Is it??

     Steve's Place repeated this.
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     Blurry Moon (sun@shitposter.world)'s status on Thursday, 23-Jul-2026 11:19:07 JST Blurry Moon

     in reply to

     • myrmepropagandist
     @7666 @futurebird the science checks out but would it work at the height of the starlink satellites? genuinely curious
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     7666 (7666@comp.lain.la)'s status on Thursday, 23-Jul-2026 11:23:02 JST 7666

     in reply to

     • myrmepropagandist
     • Blurry Moon
     @sun @futurebird here's a random X-band SAR constellation from a US company: 560km LEO https://www.eoportal.org/satellite-missions/umbra-sar#eop-quick-facts-section
     
     Starlink: 550km https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-satellites.html
     Blurry Moon likes this.
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     Blurry Moon (sun@shitposter.world)'s status on Thursday, 23-Jul-2026 11:23:12 JST Blurry Moon

     in reply to

     • myrmepropagandist
     @7666 @futurebird excellent info, thanks
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     ShadSterling (shadsterling@mastodon.social)'s status on Friday, 24-Jul-2026 10:39:45 JST ShadSterling

     in reply to

     • myrmepropagandist

     @futurebird nobody actually wants to put datacenters in space, the people promoting the idea want to get the same class of dangerously wealthy idiots who spent a trillion and a half dollars on glorified autocomplete to spend the next trillion on their companies so when the company fails the people who set it up keep their golden parachutes. It’s a game to try to become a centimillionaire on the whim of a group of centibillionaires.