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SpaceX opens Starlink satellite internet pre-orders to the public
SpaceX’s Starlink is taking another small step towards expanding its public beta test by opening up pre-orders to budding customers. Whereas previously you could register your interest for the chance to sign up to the satellite internet service, entering your details now gives you the ability to put down a $99 deposit. Additional charges include $499 for the Starlink Kit, including a Wi-Fi router and dish, and extras for shipping and tax.
SpaceX filing reveals Starlink internet service has over 10,000 users
SpaceX's Starlink internet service is still in beta, but is already used by over 10,000 people
SpaceX's first 'rideshare' mission will launch a record number of satellites (updated)
The SpaceX Transporter-1 mission set to launch today will put 133 commercial and government spacecraft, as well as 10 more Starlink satellites, in orbit. SpaceX says that’s “the most spacecraft ever deployed on a single mission” — the previous record holder, an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, ferried only 104 satellites to space. In addition to having a record-breaking payload, Transporter-1 is also the first dedicated launch under the SmallSat Rideshare Program SpaceX announced back in 2019.
SpaceX Starlink wins $885 million from the FCC to serve rural areas
The FCC has revealed the results for the first phase of its Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction, and one of the biggest winners is SpaceX. In addition, SpaceX will have to adhere to “periodic buildout requirements” in those 35 locations to get access to the FCC’s funds.
SpaceX can soon offer Starlink's satellite internet to Canadians
The country’s regulators — the Innovation, Science and Economic Development department, in particular — have granted the company’s request for regulatory approval, allowing it to offer beta access to the high-speed internet network provided by Starlink’s satellite constellation. The service’s beta trials only started a few days ago after SpaceX sent out emails to people who previously signed up to receive more information about it.
SpaceX wins contract to make US missile tracking satellites
SpaceX has won a contract to build missile warning satellites for the Defense Department, and they might be based on Starlink.
SpaceX gets closer to a private beta of its Starlink internet service
SpaceX may soon give a select number of people who expressed interest in hearing more about Starlink access to its satellite internet service. The aerospace corporation has sent some of those who previously signed up for more information on Starlink’s website an email asking for their full addresses. In the same email, SpaceX has revealed that it will launch a private beta for Starlink this summer followed by a public beta.
SpaceX has a month to prove Starlink is worthy of rural broadband funding
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said it has “serious doubts” that SpaceX will be able to deliver internet service with latency under 100 milliseconds. That would not only be bad for users, but means that SpaceX could be at a disadvantage in an auction to distribute $16 billion in federal funds to support rural broadband access.
SpaceX will answer Crew Dragon and Starlink questions on Reddit at 3PM ET
SpaceX is holding a Reddit AMA that could answer your questions about Crew Dragon, Starlink and more.
SpaceX's latest batch of internet satellites includes one with a sun shield
SpaceX is launching more Starlink satellites, bu this time one will have a visor that stops the sun from reflecting off its body.
SpaceX will make its Starlink satellites less of a blight on the night sky
SpaceX's future Starlink satellites will be equipped with sunshades that reduce reflectivity. This will prevent them from disrupting astronomers' work.
SpaceX lost another Falcon booster to the sea
This morning, at 10:05AM ET, SpaceX successfully launched its fifth batch of Starlink internet satellites via a Falcon 9 rocket. Unfortunately, it did not manage to land the rocket's booster as planned.
SpaceX hopes to offer satellite internet to customers by mid-2020
SpaceX has Starlink internet satellites in orbit, but when is it going to offer honest-to-goodness service? You may have to wait a little while. Company President Gwynne Shotwell told a media roundtable that SpaceX hoped to offer Starlink broadband to US customers in mid-2020. Service will depend on putting enough satellites into use, and that will require six to eight missions including the one from May. Just don't ask about prices and plans at this stage -- the only clue is that this will be "additive" to SpaceX's main business instead of a primary money maker.
After Math: Stand and Delivery
Things happened this week, such as Alphabet commencing commercial flights of its Wing drone delivery program in Christiansburg, Virginia. But they weren't the only tech corporation that decided to put things where they previously were not at speeds the public is unaccustomed to.
SpaceX is requesting permission to launch 30,000 more Starlink satellites
The SpaceX Starlink constellation may end up almost four times bigger than what the company originally planned. According to SpaceNews, the company has asked the International Telecommunication Union for permission to access spectrum for 30,000 more Starlink satellites. When SpaceX first launched the project, it introduced Starlink as a space-based internet network comprised of 12,000 satellites. The ITU and the US Federal Communications Commission already approved the company's request for spectrum access for those 12,000 -- this new batch of requests is for an additional 30,000 units.
SpaceX wouldn't move its satellite despite collision warning, ESA claims (updated)
There's a high-stakes traffic issue in the space around our planet. The European Space Agency's Aeolus Earth observation satellite had to perform a maneuver to prevent collision with SpaceX's Starlink satellite 44.
SpaceX is still in control of all but three of its internet satellites
How are SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites faring roughly a month after launch? Quite well, if you ask SpaceX. The company reported that it's in contact with 57 of the 60 initial broadband satellites. Although it's not certain what happened to those three faulty satellites, they'll eventually fall to Earth as gravity drags them down.
Most of SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites are already on track
The first batch of 60 Starlink internet satellites has been orbiting Earth for about a week, and now SpaceX has released a status update on the mission. According to a spokesperson, "all 60 satellites have deployed their solar arrays successfully, generated positive power and communicated with our ground stations." The statement didn't directly mention concerns by astronomers about their brightness and visibility, but Elon Musk already has, and they aren't expected to reach their full altitude for three to four weeks. According to SpaceX, "observability of the Starlink satellites is dramatically reduced as they raise orbit to greater distance and orient themselves with the phased array antennas toward Earth and their solar arrays behind the body of the satellite." Parabolic Arc notes that during a speech at MIT this week, SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell mentioned four of the units had unspecified problems, while today's update said "most" are using their Hall thrusters to reach operational altitude and have already made contact with their broadband antennas, but all of them have maneuvering capability to avoid each other and other objects.
SpaceX's internet satellites could be a problem for astronomers
As helpful as SpaceX's Starlink satellites may be, they could be a pain for astronomers. The Harvard-Smithsonian Center's Jonathan McDowell and others have observed that the internet satellites are bright enough to cause a "problem" for astronomy, and the eventual constellation of roughly 12,000 satellites could complicate humanity's view of the night sky. It would triple the number of satellites in orbit, CNET noted, forcing telescope operators to account for the objects.
SpaceX just launched a Falcon 9 loaded with Starlink internet satellites
After a pair of scrubbed launch attempts last week, SpaceX's first rocket loaded with 60 Starlink satellites has successfully taken off from Cape Canaveral. One hour and two minutes after the 10:30 PM ET launch the satellites are scheduled to begin deployment, heading toward their operational altitude of 550km above the Earth. The 227kg units will use Hall thrusters and energy pulled in from a single solar array to form a network that provides internet access around the globe. The rocket's first stage has already landed safely on a waiting drone ship -- this was its third flight -- and having a reusable booster will be key to launching all the satellites required. Plans SpaceX filed with the FCC said it intends to have 12,000 of the Starlink units in orbit by the mid-2020s, providing internet connections capable of up to 1Gbps even in rural areas.
