Everything we know about Elon Musk's Starlink satellites and future internet plans

Elon Musk first expressed interest in building a satellite constellation in 2014.

Patrick Pleul / POOL / AFP/Yasuyoshi CHIBA / AFP

• Elon Musk's SpaceX launched its first batch of Starlink satellites several years ago.
• Musk said he plans to eventually create a constellation of up to 42,000 satellites.
• The internet service is ideal for remote sites and played a role in Ukraine's early efforts against Russia.

Starlink is a satellite internet system that is operated by Elon Musk's rocket company, SpaceX.

Musk first expressed interest in building a satellite constellation in 2014. At the time, the venture was called WorldVu, but the billionaire later scrapped the venture in favor of spinning out a satellite internet system via SpaceX and filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission in 2016 with the name "Starlink."

Musk has said the name was inspired by John Green's book "The Fault in Our Stars."

Spacex launched its first round of 60 Starlink satellites into Earth's lower orbit in May 2019 on one of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets. Today, the company has over 4,000 of its satellites in orbit, and Musk has said he eventually wants to send up to 42,000 satellites into space.

SpaceX uses Falcon 9 rockets to transport batches of around 60 Starlink satellites at a time.

Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Unlike most satellite internet services, Starlink satellites operate in Earth's lower orbit, decreasing the lag between when the data is transferred to the receiver, the company says.

Starlink services

SpaceX says its service has download speeds between 25 and 220 Mbps and most users report speeds over 100 Mbps, as well as upload speeds between 5 Mbps and 20 Mbps — speeds that are ideal for internet activities like gaming and streaming.

The service costs about $599 for the equipment and $110 per month in the US. Prices vary based on the user's location. Starlink service is available in 48 US states and over 55 countries, according to SpaceX. The company said in May that is had over 1.5 million subscribers.

Starlink is primarily aimed toward users in more remote areas, and the company has begun providing its service to cruise lines and airlines over the past year. The company also launched a $135 per month internet plan aimed toward RV owners last year.

In 2022, Musk announced that SpaceX would be partnering with T-Mobile to offer the company's users access to Starlink satellite service and "eliminate dead zones worldwide."

SpaceX's vice president of Starlink commercial sales, Jonathan Hofeller, said earlier this year that the company plans to begin testing the mobile service within the year.

Military use

Starlink was instrumental in helping Ukraine overcome Russian cyberattacks last year when the country launched its unprovoked attack on Ukraine.

Musk sent Ukraine thousands of Starlink internet kits during the onset of the war.

Though, earlier this year SpaceX decided to limit Ukraine's Starlink usage for operating drones. SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell said in February that the service was "never meant to be weaponized."

The rocket company also unveiled a military-focused branch of Starlink late last year, dubbed "Starshield." The spinoff project is aimed toward government agencies and will use Starlink's "technology and launch capability to support national security efforts."

Light pollution and collisions

As SpaceX continues to grow its constellation of satellites, astronomers have continued to raise concerns on how Starlink will impact light pollution in space, as well as the potential for satellite collisions.

The company has attempted to address concerns about light pollution by upgrading Starlink satellites to reduce their brightness. 

NASA said in 2022 that Musk's plans to launch about 42,000 satellites could interfere with its missions, generate space debris, and increase the risk of collisions.

At the time, SpaceX was quick to address NASA's concerns, saying the reliability of its satellite network is greater than 99% and adding that it has implemented an "advanced collision avoidance system" that performs avoidance maneuvers if there is a "greater than 1/100,000 probability of collision."

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