Starlink Overview Updated May 4, 2021

Starlink

"High-speed internet access across the globe"

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36 'Starlink' stories

March 2020 - May 2021

Starlink is a high-speed satellite internet company that was launched by SpaceX in 2019 when the first batch of 60 operational satellites was launched into orbit. In October 2020, SpaceX began rolling out a public beta of the Starlink service, which the company claims will include “near-global coverage of the populated world in 2021.” 

Each Starlink satellite weighs about 500 pounds and is about the size of the average dinner table. At the time of writing this (January 20, 2021), SpaceX has launched over 1,000 of these satellites into orbit around the Earth with plans to have 30,000 in the constellation eventually. 

The Starlink service works by beaming information through the vacuum of space directly to individual user terminals down on Earth. This internet delivery method is much more efficient as the information travels through space almost 50% quicker than via fiber-optic cable. 

For the public beta of the service, customers pay a $499 upfront costs, which includes the Starlink starter kit that consists of all of the necessary hardware. Customers must also pay a $99 monthly fee to use the service. Speeds vary from 50Mb/s to 150Mb/s with latency from 20ms to 40ms in most locations. 

 

 

[Update: Launched] SpaceX will attempt to launch another booster for the 9th time

With their continued push to launch as much as they possibly can this year, SpaceX will attempt to launch their 26th Starlink mission tomorrow.

Date: Tuesday, May 4th, 3:01 PM EDT

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[Update: Starship flight scrubed] SpaceX doubleheader: Starship SN15 and Falcon 9 plan for flights today

Not very often do we get two launches on the same day from the same company but today we might just see that take place. Two SpaceX rockets are on their respective launch pads counting down toward two launches later today.

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Starlink Timeline

SpaceX has been launching so many Starlink missions they have become a regular occurrence on Florida’s Space Coast. With this many launches, it has become hard to keep track of all the important moments from the Starlink program. We have both a timeline of major events; and a table of every Starlink launch at the bottom of the article.

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What is Starlink?

First announced in 2015, Starlink is a constellation of satellites by SpaceX intended to provide a high-speed and low-latency connection to the internet anywhere in the world. SpaceX hopes to bring the connection speed of Starlink up to 10 Gigabits per second.

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[Update: Launched] SpaceX to launch their 25th batch of Starlink satellites into orbit

After the successful flight last week for the Crew-2 mission, SpaceX is planning to launch their next batch of Starlink satellites to expand their worldwide internet constellation.

Date: Wednesday, April 28th, 11:44 PM EDT

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[Gallery] SpaceX launches 24th Starlink mission

On April 7th, at 12:34pm ET, SpaceX launched 60 Starlink Satellites on top of a Falcon 9 rocket which lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

[Update: Payload Deployment Confirmed] SpaceX’s 10th mission of 2021 to be another 60 Starlink satellites

SpaceX is planning to launch their 10th Falcon 9 rocket of 2021 with another 60 satellites for their worldwide internet constellation, Starlink. Seven out of SpaceX’s 10 launches this year have been missions solely dedicated to building out their constellation and expand Starlink’s coverage.

Date: Wednesday, April 7th, 12:34 PM EDT / 4:34 PM UTC

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[Update: Launch Video] SpaceX to send up 23rd batch of Starlink internet satellites

After a week-long hiatus of launches, SpaceX is planning to launch another batch of 60 satellites for their Starlink internet constellation. This will use up to 12,000 satellites to provide high-speed internet service around the globe with zero interruption. If launched by the end of the month, this will tie SpaceX’s record of 4 launches in a single calendar month.

Date: Wednesday, March 24th, 4:28 AM EDT

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[Update: Launched!] SpaceX to launch their 22nd batch of Starlink satellites

On the heels of their last launch earlier this week, SpaceX is already planning to launch their next batch of 60 Starlink satellites into orbit as soon as this weekend. Starlink will provide worldwide high-speed internet through the use of thousands of satellites in low earth orbit.

Date: Sunday, March 14th, 6:01 AM EDT

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[Update: Launched!] SpaceX to send another 60 Starlink satellites to space on top of an iconic booster

SpaceX’s Starlink internet constellation is growing every month with the California-based aerospace company launching between 2 and 3 batches of Starlink satellites each month, the next for this month coming in the next couple of days.

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