Summary Distances are computed in meters, but latencies divide by 3e5 / 2e5, which are interpreted as km/s. This unit mismatch inflates one-way latencies by ~1000×. Correct units (m/s): c (vacuum/air) ≈ 299,792,458 m/s Fiber propagation ≈ 2×10^8 m/s (n≈1.5) Evidence Example: 1000 km = 1,000,000 m Wrong (km/s): 1e6 / 2e5 = 5 seconds Right (m/s): 1e6 / 2e8 = 0.005 seconds = 5 ms Affected code paths User ↔ Sat latency (air): distance(m) / 3e5 Sat ↔ Sat ISL latency (vacuum/air): distance(m) / 3e5. Root cause Mixing distance in meters with speed constants in km/s.
Summary Distances are computed in meters, but latencies divide by 3e5 / 2e5, which are interpreted as km/s. This unit mismatch inflates one-way latencies by ~1000×. Correct units (m/s): c (vacuum/air) ≈ 299,792,458 m/s Fiber propagation ≈ 2×10^8 m/s (n≈1.5) Evidence Example: 1000 km = 1,000,000 m Wrong (km/s): 1e6 / 2e5 = 5 seconds Right (m/s): 1e6 / 2e8 = 0.005 seconds = 5 ms Affected code paths User ↔ Sat latency (air): distance(m) / 3e5 Sat ↔ Sat ISL latency (vacuum/air): distance(m) / 3e5. Root cause Mixing distance in meters with speed constants in km/s.