Billionaire and CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk has great plans for the future. He is going to offer Starlink Internet to many people by launching his company’s satellite into space. So people can use high-speed internet. They are going to sell this internet connection to as many people as they can. The Starlink Internet will serve as a division of SpaceX that will consist of orbital satellites or constellations. The first of these satellites were launched into space in 2018. Now the company has come a long way with its project.
Elon Musk plans to provide internet services to people via Starlink Internet similar to the satellite internet providers like HughesNet or Viasat. But the company particularly wants to offer internet access to the people in remote areas. So with these Starlink satellites, many people can also make use of high-speed internet connection. There is a Starlink app with which people can conveniently find the best location and position for their receivers. The main goal of Starlink is not only to offer Wi-Fi services to the US and Canada but to people all over the globe. So eventually the company hopes the entire planet will use their unmatchable high-speed internet.
SpaceX has shared new details about their launch of the next-generation satellites. Also, the company is going to use the massive Starship rocket as the main vehicle to send the spacecraft to orbit. They filed an amendment with the Federal Communications Commission that consisted of the descriptions of its plans. It is known as the Gen2 System. This system was created to suit the first-generation constellation deployed by SpaceX. The demand for broadband is ever growing so the company thinks that user connectivity is important.
Starlink is still now in beta mode. The company said that the network has 90,000 users in over 12 countries. They have half a million orders placed by the customers. Also, the company has launched 1,740 Starlink satellites and its first-generation system was launched in November 2019. Gen 2 has plans to have a total of 30,000 satellites. You can find out all the details of Starlink and Elon Musk on the Internet here.
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Details about Elon Musk’s Starlink Internet
The proposal for creating Starlink was shared by Elon Musk in 2015. He did not say the name of the project at that time. But it made headlines. In his speech, he revealed the various plans he has for the satellite. He used the phrase “rebuilding the internet in space” to describe the projects planned by many internet services. So far his predictions have come true as many are trying to capture a place for their satellites. Now there are many Starlink Satellites in space as well.
The first sixty of the Starlink satellites were launched on May 23, 2019. It travelled through the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The members are planning to launch even more in 2021. In this year alone, over 722 satellites have been launched. This has caused many astronomers to criticise the Starlink satellite launches. Because of the brightness of the satellites orbiting space, the astronomers are not able to observe the night sky. It is hindering the observations of many experts at the virtual Satellite Constellations.
SpaceX has responded to these critics. They are now outfitting their satellites with a blackened sunshade called the VisorSat. They are now hoping that this will decrease the reflection of the sunlight. But many sky watchers worry that this will disrupt their observations of the night sky. (Read this)
Gen 2 Starlink Internet News
SpaceX has revealed that the Gen2 Starlink satellites are very heavy. They will be larger and powerful than the original design. So this will assist the satellite to support more capabilities for the network. Also, they will be able to offer a place for additional payloads in the coming days. They have plans to host sensors and antennas of other companies too. The preferred configuration for the Gen 2 will have 29,988 Starlink satellites. They will get deployed at nine altitudes from 340 kilometers to 614 kilometers.
Previously there was news about SpaceX that revealed Starlink Internet having eight altitudes from 328 kilometers to 614 kilometers. This capacity will increase in the future. They are even planning to offer services to remote regions like Alaska. Further, they have invested in advanced propulsion capabilities to decrease the collision risk of the satellites. But if there is an accident and the satellite malfunctions then SpaceX will try to dispose of the satellite. It will disintegrate in the earth’s atmosphere.
Plans for Starship
SpaceX has revealed many details about how Starship will deploy the Starlink network. They are going to use the massive rocket for Gen 2. Rockets like Falcon 9 were able to launch 60 Starlink satellites but Starship can deliver 400 satellites at a time. Also, they are planning to change and amend the constellation design and altitudes of SpaceX Starlink to launch the satellites properly in the orbits intended for them. This will save lots of time as the satellites can be deployed at the orbits within weeks and not months.
SpaceX also has a good deployment plan for Gen 2. They will use the Falcon 9 if the Starship plan takes more time. The company has finished many test flights of Starship over the years. So they are closer to the orbital flight attempt. Recently for the first time, the prototype called Starship 20 was stacked on a Super Heavy rocket booster. Musk revealed that it will get ready in a few weeks. Only regular approval is required for it to launch.
Together Starship and Starlink are multi-billion dollar projects of SpaceX. It is part of the $74 billion valuations of the company. Many are waiting for the outcome of this plan.
Conclusion
Starlink Internet is one of the important projects of Elon Musk’s company SpaceX. The main goal is to offer high-speed broadband internet to even the remotest areas like Alaska. Many are hoping this plan will succeed. If it becomes a success the Elon Musk internet project can create a revolution in the internet industry.
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