SpaceX Starlink news: Elon Musk launches 60 internet satellites

The satellites will provide high-speed broadband across the globe  
AP
Georgia Chambers24 May 2019

Space X has kick-started its orbiting broadband project by sending 60 satellites into space aboard its Falcon 9 rocket.

The spacecraft launched successfully at 7:30 pm on Thursday from Cape Canaveral, Florida, after its scheduled lift-off last week was called off due to bad weather.

The satellites are intended to provide high-speed broadband to customers across the globe. If successful, CEO Elon Musk plans to form a matrix of satellites around the Earth, amassing nearly 12,000 spacecraft for its “Starlink” network.

Each of the 60 satellites currently deployed weighs around 500 pounds individually and contains a navigation programme that allows Space X to locate them in orbit, plus antennas by which to transmit signals.

SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket with a payload of 60 satellites for SpaceX's Starlink broadband network launched from Florida's Cape Canaveral on Thursday, 23 May.
AP

Prior to the launch of the first satellites, Mr Musk said Starlinks was “one of the hardest engineering projects I’ve ever seen done.”

Whilst the orbiting satellites are capable of offering broadband, many more spacecraft will be needed to actually offer connections to the internet.

“There is a lot of new technology, so it’s possible that some of these strategies may not work,” he said during a press conference on May 15.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the Starlink network was "one of the hardest engineering projects I've ever seen done."
AP

Nonetheless, Mr Musk said he hoped that his company’s newest innovation would be a step in the right direction for establishing the future of internet broadband.

SpaceX Falcon Heavy launches on first commercial mission - pictures

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“We think this is a key stepping stone on the way towards establishing a self-sustaining city on Mars and a base on the Moon,” he added.

Space X is one of several companies trying to launch internet-providing satellites. OneWeb, which is backed by Richard Branson’s Virgin and Qualcomm, began its rollout of spacecraft in February.

Amazon has also expressed interests in this prosperous market, with CEO Jeff Bezos announcing its satellite constellation, Project Kuiper, back in April.

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