SpaceX’s Starlink Has Already Shipped 100,000 Devices

Elon Musk announced via a series of tweets (sure) that SpaceX has shipped 100,000 devices for its Starlink satellite Internet service to 14 countries, with the goal of “serving Earth soon.” This implies that the service has gained 10,000 additional users in less than a month and the fully global service hasn’t even been deployed yet.

Starlink’s goal is to provide high-speed Internet access to rural areas, where broadband is extremely difficult to find. It differs from other satellite Internet service providers in that its strategy is to launch thousands of satellites into low orbit. Currently, SpaceX has deployed around 1,800 satellites, with the ultimate goal of 42,000 of those things that float Earth by mid-2027. The advantage of these low orbit satellites is that they have lower latency, which makes Starlink a viable alternative to 5G and fiber in remote areas.

The aforementioned terminals are part of the $ 499 starter kit, which is separate from the $ 99 monthly fee and also includes a stand, power supply, and wifi router. While the initial speed tests showed inconsistent results, a more recent Ookla test showed promising improvements with speeds approaching what you get from fixed broadband.

While we don’t know the exact numbers, it looks like Starlink is growing at a steady pace. In October, SpaceX opened its public beta program and in May the company said it already had received more than 500,000 orders. Musk also said earlier this summer that he expects to achieve 500,000 active users by mid-2022. According to Business intern, Starlink had around 10,000 users in February of this year. CNBC also noted that number had shot up to 90,000 by the end of July, 20,000 of those subscribers having arrived last month before the report’s publication. This came from a SpaceX call with the Federal Communications Commission on July 29, which appears to suggest that Starlink added 10,000 more active users in about three weeks.

Although Starlink provides an indispensable tool service to remote areas, it is not without problems. Satellites caused headaches for astronomers, as they inadvertently photobomb shots of long-exposure space due to their reflective surfaces. Although SpaceX has makes progress with new anti-reflective coating, astronomers say that’s not enough.

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