LEO Constellation
LEO
A LEO constellation is a fleet of satellites in low Earth orbit (typically 300 to 2000 km) coordinated to provide continuous coverage of the Earth's surface. Starlink (6,000-plus active satellites) is the largest. The posture is the opposite of the legacy GEO world: instead of one $300M satellite with a 15-year design life, you build thousands of $250K to $1M satellites with a 5 to 7 year life and continuous replacement. The manufacturing implications drove the industry to retool: SpaceX's Redmond factory builds 6 to 8 a day. The talent profile is closer to automotive than legacy satellite. Roles where this matters: Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations.