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This article was published on October 23, 2019

SpaceX aims to provide consumers broadband through Starlink by next year


SpaceX aims to provide consumers broadband through Starlink by next year Image by: SpaceX / Flickr

Elon Musk-owned SpaceX plans to start offering broadband through its Starlink satellite by the next year. SpaceX president and COO, Gwynne Shotwell, said yesterday the company is confident in achieving this goal.

Shotwell mentioned during a media roundtable the company needs to launch six to eight batches of satellites to achieve it.

In May, the company launched 60 of its Starlink satellites successfully to operate at 500 km from the Earth’s surface. Shotwell said it needs 24 more launches to achieve global coverage, and it is planning to complete this target by the end of the next year.

Musk is naturally one of the first people to have a Starlink terminal at his residence, and he sent a tweet using that connection yesterday.

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SpaceX‘s aims to provide 1Gbps internet in rural areas through 12,000 Starlink satellites. Last week the firm applied for an additional spectrum to the International Telecommunication Union for 30,000 additional satellites. 

The private space company has been behind schedule for a lot of its missions. We’ll have to wait and see if it can get close to providing broadband connectivity by 2020.

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