Starlink
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Starlink is a satellite internet constellation operated by American aerospace company SpaceX, providing satellite Internet access coverage to over 56 countries.[1] Starlink also aims for global mobile phone service after 2023. SpaceX started launching Starlink satellites in 2019. As of May 2023, Starlink consists of over 4,000 mass-produced small satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), which communicate with designated ground transceivers. In total, nearly 12,000 satellites are planned to be deployed, with a possible later extension to 42,000.[2] SpaceX announced reaching more than 1 million subscribers in December 2022 and 1.5 million subscribers in May 2023.[3]
The SpaceX satellite development facility in Redmond, Washington, houses the Starlink research, development, manufacturing, and orbit control teams. The cost of the decade-long project to design, build, and deploy the constellation was estimated by SpaceX in May 2018 to be at least US$10 billion. SpaceX expects more than $30 billion in revenue by 2025 from its satellite constellation, while revenues from its launch business were expected to reach $5 billion in the same year.[4]
Astronomers have raised concerns about the effect the constellation can have on ground-based astronomy and how the satellites will add to an already congested orbital environment. SpaceX has attempted to mitigate astronomy concerns by implementing several upgrades to Starlink satellites aimed at reducing their brightness during operation. The satellites are equipped with krypton or argon-fueled Hall-effect thrusters which allow them to de-orbit at the end of their life. Additionally, the satellites are designed to autonomously and smoothly avoid collisions based on uplinked tracking data.[5]
References
- ↑ "SpaceX seeks to trademark the name ‘Starlink’ for satellite broadband network"
- ↑ "SpaceX just launched two of its space internet satellites — the first of nearly 12,000"
- ↑ "Thank you to our 1.5M+ customers around the world!"
- ↑ "Musk’s Internet-From-Space Subsidy at Risk as Rivals Protest"
- ↑ "Fact Check: Did Kremlin Threaten to Destroy Starlink Satellites?"
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