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SpaceX’s Starlink is taking another small step toward expanding its public beta testing by opening pre-orders to budding customers. Whereas previously you could register your interest for the chance to sign up for satellite internet service, entering your details now gives you the option to deposit a deposit of $ 99. You will then get a target coverage date of 2021 or 2022 depending on your location, along with the ability to pay by credit card (no Bitcoin here, we’re afraid of that).
The extra charge includes $ 499 for the Starlink kit including a router and Wi-Fi antenna, plus surcharges for shipping and taxes. The fine print indicates that pre-orders are fully refundable and can take up to six months, adding that “placing a deposit does not guarantee service”.
Starlink’s public beta test began late last year for people in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with more than 10,000 customers already using the service in the span of three months, according to a SpaceX FCC filing. The same document, which seeks to designate the company as an eligible telecommunications operator, also revealed that SpaceX has more than 1,000 satellites in orbit. The goal is to create a network of small satellites capable of transmitting broadband internet to hard-to-reach places where getting decent speeds can be difficult due to a lack of ground infrastructure.
SpaceX chief Elon Musk has pointed out that the expensive project could be turned into its own entity via an IPO. Given Musk’s Tesla’s high valuation as a public company, an IPO could give the satellite company the ability to better fund its operations. But first, Starlink must complete the arduous task of assembling its constellation, which means that an IPO could still be a way out.
SpaceX must cross a deep chasm of negative cash flow over the next year to make Starlink financially viable. Every new constellation of satellites in history has gone bankrupt. We hope to be the first not to.
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 9, 2021
Once we can reasonably predict the cash flow well, Starlink will go public.
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 9, 2021
“SpaceX must cross a deep chasm of negative cash flow over the next year to make Starlink financially viable,” Musk said in a recent tweet. “Every new constellation of satellites in history has gone bankrupt. We hope to be the first not to. “
He continued in a separate tweet, “Once we can reasonably predict the cash flow, Starlink will go public.”
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