Space towers in the backyard
The standard phone revolution
The global race to connect
Bright skies and crowded orbits
YOUR GOAL
Master of Your cell tower in the stars
sonia Space Towers in the Backyard
Tower in space, / Signals from orbit, / Straight to your phone!
sonia Extreme satellite speeds warp radio frequencies, requiring smart software to keep calls connected.
sonia Low Earth Orbit satellites zoom much closer to the ground, making direct-to-device communication physically possible.
sonia Build tiny space towers to discover how satellites connect directly to your backyard phone.
LEO speed: LEO satellites travel so fast—about 27,000 km/h—that they circle the entire Earth in just 90 minutes.
An artificial body placed in orbit around the earth or another planet in order to collect information or for communication. In April 2023, AST SpaceMobile completed the first direct-to-cell voice call using an unmodified smartphone.
What is the primary advantage of LEO satellites over geostationary satellites for phone calls?
Which radio frequency bands are typically shared between ground towers and direct-to-device satellites?
What physical phenomenon causes a LEO satellite's frequency to shift as it moves past a phone?
How long does it take a typical LEO satellite to complete one full orbit around Earth?