Advertisement
Here’s what to know about Elon Musk’s 1 million Starlink terminals
- The high-speed satellite internet network offers broadband connectivity to users without fixed-line connections – especially useful in rural locations
- Musks’s company has more than 400,000 users worldwide and has been known to reached speeds of 175 Mbps in freezing temperatures, high winds and snow
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
1
Starlink, the satellite internet constellation operated by SpaceX, was launched in October 2020, and has more than 400,000 users worldwide. It has partnered with airlines and cruise ships, and played a role in Ukraine war.
Musk said on Twitter on Saturday that SpaceX has so far manufactured more than one million Starlink user terminals, which connect to the company’s satellites in orbit.
Starlink can be an option for those living in remote areas who don’t have access to affordable broadband.
What’s the hype about Starlink?
SpaceX, the aerospace manufacturer founded by Musk, has an expansive, high-speed satellite internet network in space called Starlink. The satellites in orbit envelope the Earth and offer broadband connectivity to users – especially those in rural areas without fixed-line connections.
Advertisement
SpaceX launched its first satellites in May 2019 and now has more than 2,900 satellites in low-earth orbit. The goal is to have up to 42,000 satellites by mid-2027.
The satellites are strapped onto SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and blasted into orbit, usually releasing 60 per launch.
When the service began, SpaceX said in an email to Starlink beta test subscribers they should expect speeds between 50 and 150 megabits per second, with intermittent outages. But some users hit much higher speeds. Starlink has even reached speeds of 175 Mbps in freezing temperatures, high winds and snow.
Costs have fluctuated
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x