All you need to know about tomorrow's Starlink launch

Elon Musk is a busy guy, and the latest project is to launch 60 satellites in space tomorrow. The launch is part of SpaceX's Starlink plan – an ambitious attempt at low-latency broadband internet for the world.

The essential is the following. Starlink uses satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). Basically, once a sufficient number of satellites are in orbit, they connect to ground terminals on Earth that are about the size of a pizza box. Compared to existing satellite internet systems, LEO satellite constellations are much closer to Earth: 99 to 1,200 miles instead of the 22,000 miles used by traditional geostationary satellites. This means that LEO satellites can transfer information faster, at speeds comparable to wired and fiber-based broadband Internet connections. According to a BroadbandNow study, LEO satellite networks could potentially allow US households to save over $ 30 billion in Internet charges per year, as well as provide a more reliable service to rural areas that do not have much options for wired broadband Internet connection.

As exciting as it may be, the launch of tomorrow remains a test. Musk tweeted a photo of the satellites stuck in a Falcon 9 rocket Saturday, stating that they were "production design". SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell also recently said that the launch will focus on reduced "test satellites" that, while performing well, lack inter-satellite linkages. The 60 satellites also differ slightly from the two SpaceX demonstration satellites launched in February 2018, dubbed TinTin A and TinTin B.

SpaceX relies heavily on the success of tomorrow's launch. The last Starlink constellation is expected to have approximately 12,000 satellites in total. Currently, SpaceX has obtained permission from the FCC to launch 1,584 satellites at an altitude of 340 km (340 miles) and 2,825 satellites at approximately 690 to 825 miles (1,110 to 1). 325 km). However, this approval depends on SpaceX launching at least half of the 4,409 satellites over the next six years. After that, the company will only have about three years to complete the installation of the constellation. Musk tweeted SpaceX needs six more launches of 60 satellites for minor coverage, and twelve for moderate coverage. The company plans to create two to six more Starlink launches, but the number of years to come this year will depend on how everything goes tomorrow. No matter how you look at things, the schedule is pretty tight.

As long as the weather allows and the world does not explode, the launch is scheduled at 22:30. AND tomorrow at Cape Canaveral Air Force Base in Florida. (You can watch it on the live webcast of SpaceX.)

Starlink is not the only mega-stellation project planned. Blue Origin of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos also wants to launch 3,236 LEO satellites as part of an initiative called Project Kuiper. OneWeb also plans to send 900 satellites by 2021 and launched the first six in February.

[BroadbandNow via Inverse]