SpaceX Has Already Shipped 100,000 Starlink Satellite Internet Devices

Starlink has already shipped 100,000 satellite Internet terminals even before reaching global coverage. SpaceX chief Elon Musk revealed the figure on Twitter, where he also listed the 14 regions where the service is currently available. “Our license applications are pending in many other countries. Hoping to serve the Earth soon! »He said in a follow-up tweet.

SpaceX launched Starlink as a beta service in late 2020, offering potential testers at the time the chance to be the first for $ 99 per month. The terminal itself is not included in the monthly fee: Starlink sells its starter kit with the user terminal or satellite dish, its stand and power supply, as well as a WiFi router for an additional $ 499, which the customers will have to pay in advance. You can see what the terminal looks like in the image above, showing a satellite dish installed on the roof of a school in Chile.

Starlink was designed to serve customers in remote locations where internet options are generally limited or nonexistent. Perhaps this is the reason why customers are willing to pay the rather high initial cost. According to CNBC, the company said it had 90,000 users in July, saying it had signed up 10,000 more customers in just a few weeks.

The service uses thousands of small orbiting satellites to provide Internet connection to its customers. SpaceX has already deployed nearly 1,800 satellites for the Starlink constellation, but it plans to launch up to 42,000 small Internet satellites in the future. Company president Gwynne Shotwell previously said Starlink will be able to offer continuous global coverage once all deployed satellites reach operational orbit, which could happen as early as September.