
Automakers are looking toward using satellites to help facilitate the next generation of automobile technology. Satellites are emerging as a key tool to handle the large amounts of data that cars will need to implement the ever-changing technology put into automobiles.
Cars that drive themselves will need satellites to handle the vast quantities of information needed for autonomous vehicles. According to Morgan Stanley, self-driving vehicles will generate as much as 40 terabytes of data an hour from cameras, radar, and other sensors equipment to an iPhone’s use, along with massive amounts more data needed to navigate roads.
Satellites are more reliable than cellular networks to handle the constant data stream needed to operate high-tech automobiles. Although most new cars come with a modem to receive data via the same towers that serve a cellphone, coverage can be spotty. According to Quilty Analytics, “only 10% to 15% of the air surface is covered by cellular networks.”
CEO Elon Musk of Tesla (TSLA) is at the forefront of using satellites to handle the data needed for autonomous cars. Through his SpaceX rocket company, Musk has already deployed more than 1,700 satellites that operate in low-Earth orbit, which is about 350 miles from the Earth’s surface, compared with about 22,300 miles for traditional satellites. The low-Earth orbit satellites allow faster communication and reduce signal delay, which is an important feature needed for autonomous vehicles. Musk has already asked regulators for permission to use his Starlink satellite network to interact with moving vehicles.
The biggest hurdle needed to use the satellite technology is to reduce the time it takes to travel from space to a car, which is now about 50 milliseconds versus about 10 milliseconds for a cellular signal. Automakers are also weighing the benefits of a terrestrial system such as 5G to complement satellite technology. Satellites give more comprehensive coverage, but they face challenges not only with speed but with obstructions to their signal, such as parking garages that 5G technology can navigate.