PlanetIQ's Plan: Swap US Weather Sats For Private Ones 128
We've mentioned over the last few years several times the funding problems that mean the U.S. government's weather satellite stable is thinner than we might prefer. A story at the Weather Underground outlines the plan of a company called PlanetIQ to fill the needs met with the current constellation of weather sats with private ones instead. From the article, describing testimony last week before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce:
"PlanetIQ's solution includes launching a constellation of 12 small satellites in low-Earth orbit to collect weather data, which PlanetIQ says the federal government could access at less cost and risk than current government-funded efforts. ... [PlanetIQ Anne Hale] Miglarese added that within 28 to 34 months from the beginning of their manufacture, all 12 satellites could be in orbit. As for the cost, she says, "We estimate that for all U.S. civilian and defense needs globally for both terrestrial and space weather applications, the cost to government agencies in the U.S. will be less than $70 million per year. As the satellites collect data, PlanetIQ would sell the data to government weather services around the world as well as the U.S. Air Force. The most recently launched polar-orbiting satellite, sent into space by the U.S. in 2011, cost $1.5 billion."
Car Salesmen (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Maybe I'm crazy (Score:3, Interesting)
I wonder if, for the government, or society in general, it will actually pan out to be an advantage.
Of course not. This is just another attempted heist by the privateers, facilitated by the "crisis" that they have created.
Re:Here come the middlemen (Score:4, Interesting)
While I agree:
Government satellites are already, by-and-large, built by private contractors for overpriced contracts, by rent-seeking engineering firms. GOES sattellites, for example, weren't designed and manufactured by NOAA scientists, but BOEING or Space Systems/Loral or Lockheed Martin. The difference here would only be the job of running them.
Conspiracy Theory.. (Score:4, Interesting)
Remember a few years ago when weather.com and The Weather Channel tried to make the National Weather Service stop issuing free public satellite imagery and forecasts?
Any chance that NOAA/NWS satellite funding was cut to achieve their objective of privatizing the weather service by less-direct means?
Nah, our noble legislative branch would NEVER do something underhanded like THAT...
Re:Here come the middlemen (Score:5, Interesting)
The difference is that the data from the government owned satellites is available for public consumption free of charge (or minimal charge, for reproducing fees), while if they go with the solution that PlanetIQ is offering, this data won't be redistributable. Your favorite commercial weather sites would be hit hardest, but I think places like weather underground would be effected as well. And probably a lot of other side effects from industries that are using the satellite data that I'm not even aware of. Be very wary of PlanetIQ's motives.
Re:hmm, where have I heard this one before... (Score:5, Interesting)
Don't forget the longer term costs involved in stationkeeping. These satellites aren't just lobbed into space and stay in their orbits without a ground-based infrastructure that monitors the satellites and makes sure they stay out the way of other birds up there. Want to bet that that gets short shrift when the shareholders want higher profits?
This idea smacks of the transparent plan by Rick Santorum some years ago where he tried to get a law passed to make it illegal for NOAA to issues weather alerts. (The Weather Channel, Inc was in Santorum's state and, likely, a big campaign contributor.)
If we were to follow the money, it would not surprise me one bit to find that the company testifying for this to happen has a few members of the House in their pocket. This is just another attempt by the "rentier class" to get their greedy little hands into everyone's wallet and have you pay for weather forecasts. They'd love nothing more than to have a tollbooth on everything.