SpaceX has launched another 60 satellites to build its Starlink internet service. SpaceX now has around 1,000 satellites in orbit.
SpaceX also shared on Twitter Monday night that Starlink is now offering beta service in the US and internationally and will expand “to near global coverage of the populated world in 2021.” The company is focused on bringing internet access to areas where getting connected has been challenging and where users have been stuck with unreliable service or no service at all.
At the beginning of the month, we learned through an FCC filing that Starlink already has over 10,000 users in the US and abroad. In that FCC filing, SpaceX noted that Starlink was meeting guidelines by:
- Meeting and exceeding 100/20 megabits per second (“Mbps”) throughput to individual users.
- Demonstrating performance of 95% of network round-trip latency measurements at or below 31 milliseconds.
- Successfully testing standalone voice service over the Starlink network.
SpaceX is now taking preorders for its internet service. Starlink is available in limited areas and to a limited number of customers for now, and orders are first come, first served. A deposit of $100 is required to preorder, with that money going toward a Starlink Starter Kit when the service is available in your area.