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Elon Musk reveals SpaceX will launch its Starlink internet service in just 6 MONTHS 


Elon Musk has a dream of providing the world with high speed internet using satellites in low orbit – and it could soon become a reality.

The SpaceX CEO announced on Twitter that the firm’s Starlink service will be available to certain locations in six months, with private beta in just three.

Musk had noted in the past that the project needed at least 400 satellites to launch and Wednesday, he sent 60 more devices into space – bringing the total to 422.

The project aims to have the devices form a constellation around the planet from a distance of 200 miles to 700 miles above the surface and transmit data to stations and customers on the ground.

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Elon Musk has a dream of providing the world with high speed internet using satellites in low orbit – and it could soon become a reality. The SpaceX CEO announced on Twitter that the firm’s Starlink service will be available to certain locations in six months, with private beta in just three

Elon Musk has a dream of providing the world with high speed internet using satellites in low orbit – and it could soon become a reality. The SpaceX CEO announced on Twitter that the firm’s Starlink service will be available to certain locations in six months, with private beta in just three

SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket on Wednesday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Station in Florida.

The rocket was carrying a batch of 60 new Starlink satellites in the nose cone, which deployed into low orbit 14 minutes after the Falcon took off.

Now that there are 422 satellites surrounding the planet, Musk can begin rolling out the internet service.

He hopes to launch the broadband service in the US and Canada later this year and plans for a global roll out in 2021.

Now that there are 422 satellites surrounding the planet, Musk can begin rolling out the internet service. He hopes to launch the broadband service in the US and Canada later this year and plans for a global rollout in 2021

Now that there are 422 satellites surrounding the planet, Musk can begin rolling out the internet service. He hopes to launch the broadband service in the US and Canada later this year and plans for a global rollout in 2021

A computer-generated image from several long-exposure images shows Starlink satellites in the sky above the concrete base of a former heating plant in Hungary. Although he sees this project as his gift to the world, others believe it is more of a curse

A computer-generated image from several long-exposure images shows Starlink satellites in the sky above the concrete base of a former heating plant in Hungary. Although he sees this project as his gift to the world, others believe it is more of a curse

SpaceX has promised the Starlink will provide users with fast and affordable internet, no matter where they are in the world.

Customers should experience download speeds of up to 1Gps with a latency ranging between 25 to 35 milliseconds – similar to most ground services.

Although he sees this project as his gift to the world, others believe it is more of a curse.

A recent study from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) found that satellite mega-constellations such as Starlink will ‘severely’ affect between 30 and 50 percent of observations taken by the Rubin Observatory, an astronomical observatory currently under construction in Chile.

‘Mitigation techniques that could be applied on ESO telescopes would not work for this observatory although other strategies are being actively explored,’ it said.

Sky observers and experts have also taken to social media over the past year to voice their concern about the disruption to their work.

SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket on Wednesday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Station in Florida. The rocket was carrying a batch of 60 new Starlink satellites in the nose cone, which deployed into low-orbit 14 minutes after the Falcon took off

SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket on Wednesday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Station in Florida. The rocket was carrying a batch of 60 new Starlink satellites in the nose cone, which deployed into low-orbit 14 minutes after the Falcon took off

However, Musk announced Friday that he is working to fix the brightness of the ultra-bright constellation of satellites. The brightness of the constellation is due to the angle of the solar panels as the satellites rise to orbit altitude, Musk explained

However, Musk announced Friday that he is working to fix the brightness of the ultra-bright constellation of satellites. The brightness of the constellation is due to the angle of the solar panels as the satellites rise to orbit altitude, Musk explained

Responding to the New Zealand video, a professor at UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability branded Starlink a ‘crime against humanity’.

‘Starlink is a crime against humanity; it robs us of the skies of our ancestors to every corner of the earth’ wrote Travis Longcore, an associate adjunct professor at the institute.

‘Wow!! I am in shock!! The huge amount of Starlink satellites crossed our skies tonight at Cerro Telolo. Our DECam exposure was heavily affected by 19 of them! The train of Starlink satellites lasted for over 5 minutes!! Rather depressing… This is not cool!’ wrote one astronomer.

‘As always, everyone: Do not let billionaires unilaterally make a mess of the sky. And astronomical observations being disrupted is only one of the many problems things like #Starlink and #OneWeb pose,’ wrote another.

However, Musk announced Friday that he is working to fix the brightness of the ultra-bright constellation of satellites.

The brightness of the constellation is due to the angle of the solar panels as the satellites rise to orbit altitude, Musk explained.

The satellites are orbiting at a relatively close 340 miles away from Earth, which helps to make them even more visible with the naked eye.

All satellites aboard Starlink’s next launch (launch 9) and onward, will also have ‘sunshades’, Musk also tweeted in response to another user.

‘We are taking some key steps to reduce satellite brightness btw,’ Musk said.

‘Should be much less noticeable during orbit raise by changing solar panel angle & all sats get sunshades starting with launch 9’ – which is set to take place mid-May.

SPACEX LAUNCHES ITS EIGHTH BATCH OF STARLINK SATELLITES  

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has launched the eighth batch of its ‘Starlink’ space internet satellites on April 22, 2020 – taking the total in orbit to 422.

They form a constellation of thousands of satellites, designed to provide low-cost broadband internet service from low Earth orbit.

The constellation, informally known as Starlink, and under development at SpaceX’s facilities in Redmond, Washington.

Its goal is to beam superfast internet into your home from space.

While satellite internet has been around for a while, it has suffered from high latency and unreliable connections.

Starlink is different. SpaceX says putting a ‘constellation’ of satellites in low earth orbit would provide high-speed, cable-like internet all over the world.

The billionaire’s company wants to create the global system to help it generate more cash.

Musk has previously said the venture could give three billion people who currently do not have access to the internet a cheap way of getting online.

It could also help fund a future city on Mars.

Helping humanity reach the red planet is one of Musk’s long-stated aims and was what inspired him to start SpaceX.

The company recently filed plans with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch 4,425 satellites into orbit above the Earth – three times as many that are currently in operation.

‘Once fully deployed, the SpaceX system will pass over virtually all parts of the Earth’s surface and therefore, in principle, have the ability to provide ubiquitous global service,’ the firm said.

‘Every point on the Earth’s surface will see, at all times, a SpaceX satellite.’

The network will provide internet access to the US and the rest of the world, it added.

It is expected to take $9.8 billion (£7.1bn) of investment, although satellite internet has proved an expensive market in the past and analysts expect the final bill will be higher.

Musk compared the project to ‘rebuilding the internet in space’, as it would reduce reliance on the existing network of undersea fibre-optic cables which criss-cross the planet.

In the US, the FCC welcomed the scheme as a way to provide internet connections to more people.

 

 

 



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