Yet Another Satellite Megaconstellation looks to be starting up

This time the megaconstellation, with the numbers being discussed that are bigger than Amazon's Leo (formerly known as Kuiper) but smaller than SpaceX's Starlink with over 10,000 satellites now and clearance to launch another 4,000. This new one, called TeraWave, will be 5,408 optically interconnected satellites, with 5,280 in low-Earth orbit and another 128 in medium-Earth orbit. 

If there's a surprise to this announcement, it's in just who looks to be doing the constellation: Blue Origin. While Jeff Bezos founded both Blue and Amazon, and Amazon already has been launching satellites for the LEO, it seems a little harder to pin down that Blue will launch all of them, but they throw around some pretty spectacular numbers for it.

Conceptual drawing of the TerraWave system. Image credit: Blue Origin

The 5280 satellites in LEO will communicate at up to 144Gbps through the microwave and millimeter wave radio spectra (Q and V bands), whereas those in medium-Earth orbit will provide higher data rates up to 6 Terabits per second (Tbps) through optical (laser) links. 

“This provides the reliability and resilience needed for real-time operations and massive data movement,” Blue Origin’s chief executive, Dave Limp, said on social media. “It also provides backup connectivity during outages, keeping critical operations running. Plus, the ability to scale on demand and rapidly deploy globally while maintaining performance.”  

A big difference is at the start of the "social media" link just above. Limp says it's not intended for widespread use by the general public like Starlink. 

It is purpose-built for enterprise customers. Unmatched speeds of up to 6 Tbps through a multi-orbit constellation of 5,280 LEO and 128 MEO satellites with both RF and optical links. Globally distributed customers can each access up to 144 Gbps of capacity through Q/V-band links from LEO satellites, while up to 6 Tbps point-to-point capacity can be accessed through optical links from MEO satellites.

That means TeraWave will seek to serve “tens of thousands” of enterprise, data center, and government users who require reliable connectivity for critical operations. 

Time to borrow a familiar line. I'd answer with something like, "that sounds nice and all, but you guys aren't doing all that well with your core business of being a launch service." The much-ballyhooed New Glenn has exactly two missions completed, years after originally planned. The second test flight was impressive with the successful booster recovery looking almost as routine as, well, you know who. But...

One industry concern about Blue Origin is that it has taken on too many responsibilities too quickly—a large rocket, two different lunar landers, a space station, a crew capsule, the Blue Ring spacecraft, a Mars orbiter, and more projects. This has led to a competition within the company for resources and, at times, a seeming lack of focus. Adding TeraWave to the mix represents a major new initiative that will also require an extraordinary amount of effort to bring to market.

In what appears to be a response to this industry concern, Blue Origin launched a new division within the company called Emerging Systems, which is intended to be a “new strategic initiative driving innovation across advanced aerospace technologies.” TeraWave appears to be an accomplishment of the Emerging Systems (department? group?)