Thinking about this as a model for the Mars internet and I wonder if there should also be powerful optics's on the satellite for live video streaming and weather. Put a reflex lens on a small sensor and you could get something like a 10,000mm equivalent in a fairly small package. With a lot of satellites you would want a very narrow field of view in order to have a high ground resolution. If you can have a utility satellite that does most of what you need (com & pictures) that seems like a win for mars and earth. Live global video stream sounds pretty awesome.