SATELLITES: SpaceX recently received approval to place its Starlink satellites in very low orbit, 540 km from Earth
Available in beta since October 2020, Starlink already has 10,000 test users. The Internet access service would even count more than 500,000 pre-orders according to the latest information from SpaceX, reports L’Usine Digitale.
On Tuesday, a Falcon 9 rocket launched 60 additional satellites into low orbit to power the network. The service, developed for six years by the company of Elon Musk, aims to offer a very fast Internet connection in regions where terrestrial telecommunications means are impossible to set up.
Watch Falcon 9 launch 60 Starlink satellites → https://t.co/bJFjLCzWdK https://t.co/zXwBMcXUDJ
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 4, 2021
A network still in development
This was the tenth launch of Starlink satellites in 2021, and the 26th overall. 1,300 satellites are now in low orbit to supply the network. At the end of April, SpaceX also received authorization from the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) to send 2,814 additional satellites into a much lower orbit than before, at 540 km altitude.
This could allow Starlink engineers to remedy the sluggishness of the network, which has become much more common since the start of the beta. The overall throughput should increase and improve over time. Despite the difficulties encountered, Elon Musk said on Twitter that all 500,000 orders can be fulfilled.
Still, in development, Starlink makes it possible to receive an Internet connection from space thanks to a satellite dish sold for 499 dollars. The subscription costs $ 99 per month.
