Today, Internet is still not easily accessible in many remote parts of the world, like the Earth’s Oceans. Although satellite internet is widely available, it is very expensive for fishermen, sailors, scientists, common people and even companies to get a high-speed reliable connection. Our project's target is to implement an alternative, low-cost, method of delivering internet to people located in the middle the ocean with even better internet quality and speeds. Project: Prometheus is implemented using the existing experimental technology of CubeSats in a constellation array and ‘Loon LLC’.

We came up with two methods to achieve this goal. Based on our calculations and research, the first method uses 16 CubeSats on an orbit of 1000Km outside Earth’s atmosphere with a velocity of 8km/s will result in a continued signal coverage on the Earth’s oceans. With the use of a High Bandwidth Ka-band communication antenna and a High Gain Antenna (HGA) we can achieve downlink data rates over 100Mbps. The signal will begin its course on a Ka-band Earth Station and it will travel to our constellation. From there on, the interconnected CubeSats will distribute the signal to the clients in need. Due to the high speeds achieved and the complexity of the system, satellite antennas will be needed on the ships for the signal transmission to work. The cost of these antennas will differ based on the nature of the use and the budget available of each customer. Each CubeSat cost ranges approximately from 100,000$ to 1,2M$ based on Unit number and the technology involved.

Simultaneously, targeting the group of people with a lower budget who can’t access the CubeSat system we offer an even more low-priced solution using the Loon LLC in specific areas. A more detailed research will be needed to determine the most high-traffic routes. This technology is protected from the weather since it is used at an altitude of 20Km above sea level. The Loons take advantage of the airflow currents in order to move through the Earth’s atmosphere. Using an Earth based Station transmit a signal to the Loons which then relay a 4G-LTE signal to the clients. The current technology used transmits the signal to an area of 5000Km². The cost per balloon estimates to approximately 17,000$ and the hardware can be retrieved and reused.

The implementation of Project: Prometheus, offers a wide variety of benefits regarding the future of Internet in the oceans. To specify, its establishment will lead to a significant and radical decrease in the cost of the Internet in the oceans, which will result in the birth of a wider network. Finalizing, we broaden the horizons for new IoT applications throughout the Earth and the easement for even more environmental and oceanic research programmes. Besides providing internet to large scale ship companies and researchers, Project: Prometheus will also provide Internet access to small scale ships and even individual customers due to the significant decrease of cost.

Bibliography

https://alen.space/basic-guide-nanosatellites/

http://www.globalmarinenet.com/satellite-internet-at-sea-hardware-airtime-and-pricing/

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/nasa-taking-first-steps-toward-high-speed-space-internet/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOndhtfIXSY

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cubesat/isara.php

https://countingfromzero.net/amsat/CubeSatSimPaper.pdf

https://www.marinetraffic.com