Elon Musk’s SpaceX launches the first batch of up to 7,500 next-generation Starlink satellites that could soon allow the firm’s internet service to be beamed to smartphones
- SpaceX has sent 54 of its next-generation Starlink internet satellites into orbit
- Dubbed ‘Gen2’, they enable the network to provide faster service to more people
- The company received approval to launch 7,500 Gen2 satellites on 1 December
- It is unclear whether this initial batch will allow smartphone connectivity yet
Space X launched 54 of its next-generation Starlink internet satellites into orbit this morning from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
This marks the first batch of up to 7,500 units of the upgraded model – known as ‘Gen 2’ – to be sent into space onboard a Falcon 9 rocket.
These are said to be more powerful than the first generation models, so can handle more traffic, but may also be able to beam internet service directly to smartphones.
The rocket lifted off at 09:43 GMT (04:43 ET) and the second stage, carrying the satellites, separated from the first stage about two and a half minutes later.
Space X launched 54 of its next-generation Starlink internet satellites into orbit this morning from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, USA
This marks the first batch of up to 7,500 units of the upgraded model – known as ‘Gen 2’ – to be sent into space onboard a Falcon 9 rocket. Pictured: First generation Starlink satellites
The ‘Gen2’ Starlink satellite is an upgraded version of the first generation model, of which SpaceX has launched 3,300.
These are said to be more powerful, so can handle more traffic and provide faster service.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk has said in the past that they will also provide direct smartphone connectivity, helping to expand cellular coverage into ‘dead zones’ around the world’.
However it is unclear whether the satellites launched today will have this capability, as documentation suggests the required hardware makes them too heavy to be able to be launched using a Falcon 9 rocket.
While the second stage continued into space, the first returned to Earth, landing on the ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’ drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean about eight minutes after liftoff.
This was the reusable rocket’s eleventh flight, and SpaceX will also try to recover the two parts of its nose cone which drifted down to Earth equipped with parachutes.
It also marked SpaceX’s 60th successful launch this year, setting a new record for Elon Musk’s company, as the previous was made in 2021 with 31 launches.
However, they do have plans for at least one more Starlink launch mission before the new year.
The satellites separated from the second stage of this morning’s mission just under 19 minutes after lift-off.
SpaceX currently has about 3,300 Starlink satellites in orbit, and last week, Mr Musk boasted that they now had a million active subscribers.
They provides low-latency, high-speed internet at an affordable cost – often to remote areas without existing WiFi – and this year expanded to yachts, cruise ships and RVs.
In tests, the service has been shown to offer speeds of up to 200 megabits per second, which is higher than what copper cables that are typically used in more remote areas, can achieve.
However, according to a report from Ookla, Starlink has seen its speeds worldwide slow down by up to 54 per cent in some countries as it has been more widely used.
Jessie Anderson, a SpaceX production and engineering manager who narrated the live stream of today’s launch, confirmed that the Gen2 satellites enable them to ‘add more customers and provide faster service’.
She added: ‘This launch marks the first of Starlink’s upgraded network.
‘Under our new licence, we are now able to deploy satellites to new orbits that will add even more capacity to the network.’
Jessie Anderson, a SpaceX production and engineering manager who narrated the live stream of today’s launch, confirmed that the Gen2 satellites enable them to ‘add more customers and provide faster service’
The rocket lifted off at 09:43 GMT (04:43 ET) and the second stage, carrying the satellites, separated from the first stage about two and a half minutes later. Pictured: Second stage of Falcon 9 rocket separates from the first stage in today’s launch
SpaceX received approval to deploy 7,500 Gen2 satellites from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on December 1.
However, the company had applied for permission to launch 30,000 of them before the end of the decade, which was not accepted.
The FCC placed this limit on the number of satellites due to ‘concerns about orbital debris and space safety’.
Five days later, SpaceX filed another application with the FCC, asking for permission to equip the satellites with ‘direct-to-cellular’ hardware.
This would enable users to connect their mobile phones to the network to boost their coverage.
On August 25, Mr Musk and T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert announced their vision to team up to provide signal for ‘almost anywhere a [T-Mobile] customer can see the sky’.
At the time, the world’s richest man said that the Gen2 satellites equipped with the hardware would need to be 23 feet (7 m) long and weigh 1.25 tonnes.
On 25 August, Mr Musk (right) and T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert (left) announced their vision to team up to provide signal for ‘almost anywhere a [T-Mobile] customer can see the sky’
At the time, Elon Musk said that the Gen2 satellites equipped with the hardware would need to be 23 feet (7 m) long and weigh 1.25 tonnes. This is significantly heavier than the first generation Starlink satellites, which weigh about 660 pounds (300 kg)
This is significantly heavier than the first generation Starlink satellites, which weigh about 660 pounds (300 kg).
As a result, they would need to be launched by Mr Musk’s giant Starship rocket, which is in development and could take humans to the moon by 2025.
However, he also alluded that SpaceX may build a ‘mini’ version of the Gen2 satellites which could be launched with the Falcon 9 rockets in the interim.
Documents submitted to the FCC in October detail three different configurations for Starlink Gen 2 satellites.
One of these, named ‘F9-1’ has roughly the same dimensions and mass as the current V1.5 satellites, and could therefore have been onboard the Falcon 9 today.
It is currently unclear if the satellites launched this morning will be used to test any new software or hardware that enables cellular connectivity.
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ELON MUSK’S SPACEX BRINGS BROADBAND INTERNET TO THE WORLD WITH ITS STARLINK CONSTELLATION OF SATELLITES
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has launched more than 3,000 of its ‘Starlink’ space internet satellites into orbit and hopes to have 30,000 in the sky.
They form a constellation designed to provide low-cost broadband internet service from low Earth orbit.
While satellite internet has been around for a while, it has suffered from high latency and unreliable connections.
Starlink is different. SpaceX said its goal is to provide high-speed, low-latency internet all over the world – especially to remote areas.
Musk has previously said the venture could give three billion people who currently do not have access to the internet a cheap way of getting online.
It will also help fund a future city on Mars.
Helping humanity reach the Red Planet and become multi-planetary is one of Musk’s long-stated aims and was what inspired him to start SpaceX.
Musk’s rival Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, also plans to launch a constellation of low Earth-orbit satellites to provide broadband access to remote areas, as part of its Project Kuiper.
However, astronomers have raised concerns about the light pollution and other interference cased by these satellite constellations.
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