SpaceX Starlink engineers explain outages, hire for ‘hot jobs’



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  • Engineers working on SpaceX’s Starlink listed a number of “hot jobs” that SpaceX is looking to fill in a question-and-answer session with Reddit’s Starlink community on Saturday.
  • SpaceX is hiring a lot of design and engineering roles, they said, and has emailed people to send resumes.
  • They also promised improvements to Starlink, which already offers users speeds of over 160 megabits per second.
  • For example, they were working to reduce outages caused by obstructed branches or poles near Starlink terminals on the ground, they said.
  • SpaceX engineers also said that reducing production costs – and therefore Starlink’s cost to users – “is going well, but it’s without a doubt one of the toughest challenges we face.”
  • Visit the Business Insider homepage for more stories.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX engineers explained on Saturday how they plan to improve the aerospace company’s Starlink satellite internet service – and said they were looking for people to fill “hot jobs.”

Engineers hosted an AMA on the Reddit Starlink community to answer questions about the company’s Starlink public beta test, which offers some users blazing speeds of over 160 megabits per second (Mbps).

Engineers said they were working on ways to reduce Internet disruptions caused by obstructed branches or poles near Starlink terminals on the ground, but did not give details. “We are working on software features that will make things better and in the long run the clearance you will need will decrease as the constellation grows. It will therefore be much better! ” they said.

They listed various roles in production design, product design, and software for the Starlink Internet service, and gave aspiring engineers an email address to send resumes to. SpaceX is also recruiting for antenna engineer, manufacturing development engineer and mechanical engineer positions, they said.

“Starlink is an extremely flexible system that will improve over time as we make the software smarter. Latency, bandwidth, and reliability can all be dramatically improved – come help us get there faster!” wrote SpaceX engineers.

SpaceX launched its Starlink public beta test on October 26, after launching its private beta test in June.

How SpaceX is trying to improve Starlink

Engineers explained how they hope to improve Starlink, which involves a network of nearly 900 satellites broadcasting Internet service to Earth. “We update all of our satellites weekly and update the software for the Starlink antennas, WiFi routers and the phone app every two weeks,” they said.

In response to a question about reducing the production costs of the Starlink kit, SpaceX said, “It’s been going well, but it’s without a doubt one of the toughest challenges we face and there are always challenges. ways to improve. “

Their comments echo SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk’s tweet on November 2, when he said that keeping the cost of terminals low was “our toughest technical challenge.”

The Starlink kit, which includes a tripod, WiFi router, and terminal to connect to satellites, costs $ 499, plus $ 99 for the monthly public beta subscription.

Read more: Texas Superintendent Reveals How – And Why – He Made SpaceX Turn Its Rural School District Into A Starlink Satellite Internet Lab

So far, the Reddit Starlink community seems to be impressed with the Starlink internet service. While SpaceX said users should expect speeds of 50-150 Mbps, some have consistently reported download speeds above 160 Mbps.

The fastest speed recorded on a list compiled by the community was 208.63 Mbps, in Seattle.

Other Reddit users posted photos and videos of their Starlink terminal in high speed winds, deep snow, and freezing temperatures, showing internet speeds of up to 175 Mbps even in extreme weather conditions.



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