The dream of being able to access the Internet, no matter where you live, might come true sooner than you think. In 2015, SpaceX, the company owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk, announced the development of such a service called Starlink. But what exactly is Starlink? Read on as we learn more about this upcoming, very ambitious space Internet service.
How does Starlink work?
Once fully operational, Starlink will be able to offer Internet access from virtually anywhere on the planet. Elon Musk Starlink’s goal is to launch thousands of small satellites, all of which will be in low earth orbit. They will be able to transmit fast Internet signals to Earth.
What do satellites look like?
Each satellite in this Elon Musk Starlink project weighs just 573 pounds (260 kg). They’re basically very flat then when 60 of them are placed inside one of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets. When they are put into orbit, a single large solar panel comes out to power the satellite. The main part includes four powerful antennas for Internet transmissions. They also have lasers that connect each satellite to four others in orbit. Finally, they include ion thrusters that use krypton gas. This allows them to stay in orbit longer, even at these lower distances from Earth.
How fast will Starlink Internet speeds be?
SpaceX Starlink satellites will be in low orbit, about 350 miles above Earth. Because of this relatively short distance, SpaceX says the latency should be between 25ms and 35ms. This should be fast enough for most Internet tasks, including gaming. Download speeds should also be pretty fast, at around 1 Gbps. SpaceX has yet to confirm what the download speeds will look like.
In comparison, today’s HughesNet satellite Internet service offers download speeds of up to 25 Mbps. However, its latency speeds are much slower at around 600ms.
So far, how many satellites have been launched?
The company launched its first test satellites in 2018. This was followed by the service’s first 60 official satellites in 2019. At the time of this writing, SpaceX has put around 540 satellites into orbit. It plans to put up to 120 more satellites into orbit with two more launches in July. One will take place on July 8, while the other is expected to take place in late July.
How many satellites will be needed for the service?
The company has received clearance from the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to place up to 12,000 SpaceX Starlink satellites over the planet. Basically it will form a sort of “Starlink constellation” in the sky. SpaceX would like to place even more satellites above Earth. Ultimately, the “Starlink constellation” could have up to 42,000 satellites in orbit.
How much will Starlink Internet access cost?
So far, SpaceX has yet to confirm pricing plans for the service. In a CNN article, company president and chief operating officer Gwynne Shotwell gave a price hint, saying, “Does anyone pay less than $ 80 a month for a shitty service?” ? Nope. This is why we are going to be successful. In comparison, the HughesNet service costs up to $ 150 per month, with a high-speed 50 GB (at 25 Mbps) data plan and horrific latency that makes gaming impossible and even tasks like streaming can be. a chore.
When will Starlink Internet be available?
Musk claimed in a Twitter post in April that a private beta would begin in about three months from then. If the company is still on target by that date, the private beta could start as early as the end of July. He added that a public beta will start in about six months. This brings the public beta to around October. The official launch is expected to take place in 2021.
Where will SpaceX Starlink Internet be available for the first time on Earth?
Musk said the private beta will be available to people in “high latitudes” first. The company has clarified that the beta will launch first for residents of Canada, as well as in northern parts of the United States. The plan is to expand to other parts of the world in 2021.
When SpaceX first launches a new set of satellites, they can be seen with the naked eye in many places soon after.
However, they quickly ascend to orbit. When this happens, they become much less visible, but under certain circumstances they can still be seen with the naked eye, and certainly through telescopes.
The main reason is that they are in orbit much lower than normal communications satellites. According to a Vox article, many astronomers fear that the plan to orbit up to 12,000 or more Starlink satellites could cause much more light pollution, which could interfere with their Earth-linked telescopes. SpaceX says it is working to reduce the amount of light pollution from these satellites, including experimenting with a dark coating on the surface.
Fiber optic Internet speeds reach 10 Gbit / s. Starlink’s download speeds are said to be up to 1 Gbps, but then again, there’s no word on download speeds. Therefore, it doesn’t look like Starlink will be faster than fiber?
Concerns have been expressed about the amount of space debris that could be generated with thousands of Starlink satellites in orbit. According to SpaceNews.com In this article, many experts believe they could cause problems with unmanned and crewed spacecraft. SpaceX claims any problem with the failing satellites will be resolved by simply using their onboard thrusters to safely lift them out of orbit and burn them into Earth’s atmosphere?
No. It is designed to provide fixed Internet services to a home or business. Reddit user Darkpenguin22 recently posted footage of what he claims is a prototype Starlink tracking terminal in Wisconsin. The small circular Starlink tracker antenna has been referred to by some as the “UFO on a stick”. That said, smartphones can connect to Starlink’s data connection and its home network through its WiFi hardware.
No. As we said earlier, the service is designed for direct fixed connections to homes or businesses. It is not the same as 5G mobile technology.
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