SpaceX Launches 60 More Starlink Satellites
March 11, 2021 – SpaceX has successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 60 Starlink satellites into orbit. Taking off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, it was SpaceX’s seventh mission of 2021 from the Space Coast. The launch marks SpaceX’s 110th Falcon 9 mission, of which 21 have carried a payload of Starlink satellites. This brings the total number of Starlink satellites launched into orbit to 1,265.
SpaceX announced its plans for the Starlink network in 2015. SpaceX will manufacture, launch, and operate the global network of low Earth orbit communications satellites, with the goal of providing Internet access services in the U.S. and worldwide. SpaceX has already received approval from the ITU and the FCC for 12,000 satellites, which would be the world’s largest low-Earth-orbit satellite constellation.
According to information on its website, Starlink is currently providing “initial beta service both domestically and internationally, and will continue expansion to near global coverage of the populated world in 2021.” Users of Starlink’s beta satellite Internet access service can expect to see speeds which vary from 50 Mbps to 150 Mbps with latency from 20ms to 40ms. However, Starlink claims “data speed, latency and uptime will improve dramatically” as it launches more satellites, installs more ground stations, and improves networking software.
The cost of the service is reportedly $99 per month (plus a one-time $499 equipment cost).
Starlink’s beta service is currently available in parts of the northern United States, Canada, and England – between the latitudes of 45 to 53 degrees. It will soon be available in parts of Germany, New Zealand, and other regions of the United Kingdom, including Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and northern England.
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