At 120 Starlink Internet Satellites a month, you’d think this may be too much for Elon Musk’s SpaceX, but actually, this is just the start of the company’s ambitious plan. SpaceX plans to create an interconnected system of 12,000 satellites to provide high-speed internet to anywhere in the world.
Musk mentioned in a presentation to the Federal Communications Commission last month that he has invested more than $70 million in developing and manufacturing consumer-user satellites a month. So far, SpaceX has launched around 600 satellites and is currently establishing ground stations and terminals to connect the network to consumers.
It’s hard to envision what SpaceX ‘s project will be, but it’s happening at an impressive speed that’s never before experienced. Comparing it with Iridium, the satellite company that held the previous record for the most prominent satellite constellation used in the commercial sector, SpaceX is producing twenty times the number of what Iridium can manufacture per month. Also, NEXT satellites from Iridium are more massive at three times the weight of a Starlink and smaller as well.
As of press time, around 700,000 individuals from the U.S. expressed their interest with Starlink services. SpaceX also requested the FCC for an increase in user terminals from 1 million to 5 million.
Astronomers and Stargazers Say No Go
Meanwhile, not everyone’s excited about Starlink’s expansion. Astronomers fear that these low-orbit satellites may interfere with observations. And just recently, some stargazers were displeased as these satellites photobombed pictures of the comet Neowise.
SpaceX Space Resort Plans
Brownsville, Texas, is where SpaceX tests its Starship, its next-gen cargo, and passenger spaceship. However, there are reports that, aside from its T and D site, SpaceX plans to develop nearby Boca Chica as a futuristic Spaceport. This facility is one of Musk’s dreams of constructing floating spaceports, for terrestrial and interstellar travel.
With SpaceX’s space resort, space tourists will have amenities on the ground and the launch area. SpaceX has high hopes for the future. Aside from its plans to provide high-speed internet to the farthest regions of the earth, it also eyes on taking tourists to space next year.
Once the SpaceX Starship is online, this can also help to carry 400 Starlink satellites at a time. Each satellite terminal is similar to a satellite TV dish, and these will be linked with an Ethernet cable. It works like a Wi-Fi router that can provide internet signals to different devices. These satellite dishes are auto-configuring that they can automatically find the ideal angle to improve data transmission.
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