Elon Musk has taken ambition to another level. He's co-created Paypal, founded Space-X, and currently leading Tesla from electric vehicles, to the releasing of humanoid robots called Tesla bots in the near future. The Musk Foundation is the home of Mr. Musk's philanthropic interests, yet his internet service providing company is called, Starlink.
Starlink is an internet service provider offering high speed, low latency internet to its' customers, with download speeds of Starlink internet service has service offerings in certain geographic locations, yet quantity of customers is limited to a first come first serve basis, says Starlink.
Residents in the USA and Canada can get Starlink Satellite Internet services, if they live between 44 and 53 degrees latitude, according to researcher with satelliteinternet.com. The map below shows areas where service is offered or waitlisted in the US and Canada, between the latitudinal markers.
Issues with Product Rollout
Geekwire.com, states that Space X has launched more than 2,000 satellites for the development of Starlink services, to date. Further the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has approved a SpaceX plan that indicates a satellite constellation of over 12,000 satellites.
According to a SpaceX news release, February 3rd, 2022, SpaceX launched 49 shuttles, 40 of which entered re-orbit, which means they did not successfully remain in place as launched. The culprit behind the 40 satellites that failed was a geomagnetic storm.
The U.S. Geological Survey defines geomagnetic storms as, "a period of rapid magnetic field variation", that can last for hours or days. These natural occurrences can stem from mass coronal ejections. Mass coronal ejections are expulsions of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun's Corona.
Starlink having a little over 2,000 out of a proposed 12,000 satellites in orbit proposes solutions. Starlink currently has plans for second generation satellites. According to NASA, Starlink has been responding to the FCC's inquiry behind an application to establish 30,000 "Gen2" satellites, saying that the Gen2 satellites will build another satellite network constellation and that the first and second constellations might work together for superior service.
Space debris has been a large issue for satellites that may be operating in low orbit. If a satellite in orbit comes inoperable, or if one satellite collides with another; these would be space junk. NASA says that space junk in low orbit can travel 17,500 mph. Even a small space projectile moving that speed could damage a satellite or spaceship.
Starlink's mission is to provide low cost an highspeed internet, amongst developing framework for a spaceborne internet system. Starlink has capabilities to build 45 satellites per week, and launch up to 240 satellites per month. Currently, the Starlink satellite network is currently higher than 99% following the deployment of over 2,000 satellites, according the their website.
The "Gen2" satellites might come with greater protection against geomagnetic events occurring in low orbit. However, the "Gen1" satellites, currently in production and launch processes, are equipped with a collision avoidance mechanism to protect from Space debris. This collision avoidance system works by using sensor detection to "duck" from debris, while keeping the functionality to reconstitute itself after threat is averted.
Be confident in the engineering of SpaceX's contributions to Starlink Internet Service, and their high success rate for successful development of their satellite and launch program. Stay updated with the latest from Starlink, directly from their website's update page.
Credits:
Federal Aviation Administration
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