SpaceX ships 100,000 Starlink devices to customers, plans future launches with Starship – TechCrunch

by



[ad_1]

Elon Musk’s Starlink project, which aims to provide global broadband connectivity through a constellation of satellites, has delivered 100,000 terminals to its customers.

That’s a breathtaking pace for the capital-intensive service, which began satellite launches in November 2019 and opened its beta program to $ 99 / month for some customers about a year later. Since that time, SpaceX has launched more than 1,700 satellites to date and – in addition to the 100,000 terminals shipped – has received more than half a million additional orders for the service.

In some ways, it’s no surprise that SpaceX has managed to speed up its Starlink service so quickly, as the company itself launches the satellites on the Falcon 9 rocket. Such vertical integration is a key strategy for the space company. , now the most valued in the world.

Many Starlink beta customers live in remote or rural areas, where access to conventional broadband is limited or non-existent. Customers pay an initial cost of $ 499 for the service, which covers a starter kit to get them started: a user terminal (which SpaceX affectionately calls “Dishy McFlatface”), a Wi-Fi router, power supply, cables, and a tripod support.

Image credits: Star link (Opens in a new window)

But while Starlink’s rapid growth reflects an aggressive strategy, this is only the start of the project, if SpaceX has anything to say about it. The company aims to eventually launch around 30,000 Starlink satellites into orbit and expand its user base to millions of customers. In an application for the next-generation Starlink system, submitted to the Federal Communication Commission on August 18, SpaceX proposed two separate configurations for the constellation, one of which would use its next-generation Starship heavy-lift rocket.

This constellation would reach 29,988 satellites in total; SpaceX also offered an alternate configuration using its Falcon 9 rocket. But Starship’s obvious advantage is its massive payload capacity.

“SpaceX has found ways to harness the advanced capabilities of its new launcher, Starship, which has an increased ability to deliver more mass to orbit quickly and efficiently and, combined with the reuse capability of the upper stage, launches more often, ”the company said. in the amended request.



[ad_2]

Source link