Starlink continues to startle earthlings years after first string of satellites launched
- by KUTV
- Jun 26, 2023
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Mon, June 26th 2023 at 2:36 PM
Updated SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) —
Someday, word of the SpaceX-headed Starlink internet project will have reached around the globe.
But SpaceX founder Elon Musk's goal to surround that very globe in a "megaconstellation" of internet satellites hasn't quite reached the ends of the Earth just yet. And with the satellites only visible for moments at a time, it's not a common-enough occurrence to ease the shock when a person witnesses the technology - seen as a long train of bright lights - as it streaks silently overhead.
The maiden voyage for the Starlink project happened May 24, 2019, following a successful test mission of two of the SpaceX satellites the previous February. Sixty units, not programmed for providing internet, were launched into orbit for various tests of their systems and capabilities.
Musk, who would eventually go on to purchase the social media company, kept a running commentary on Twitter about the first launch, giving general descriptions of what the satellites were and what type of coverage could be provided. Before the mission started, he told his followers that "much will likely go wrong," and noted that there would need to be six more launches - each carrying 60 satellites - to provide "minor coverage."
Twelve would produce moderate coverage, he added in the May 2019 tweet.
That would mean, for moderate coverage, Starlink would need to have 720 active satellites circling the Earth.
Since that first mission, SpaceX has sent the satellites into space with some amount of frequency, launching them between two - three times each month, with a few gaps in launches over the years.
It's safe to say the coverage was beyond moderate years later, with the company consistently sending new units hurling into its megaconstellation.
According to satellitemap.space, which tracks the internet satellite's positions, SpaceX has multiple thousands of active Starlink units in orbit around the planet and hundreds more that are labelled as "inactive." The site also includes position information for competitor UK-based OneWeb, which also uses satellite technology to provide internet back on Earth, as well as GPS satellites.
Though the latter two only include the visual element and not specific numbers, the number of Starlink satellites clearly outweigh OneWeb and GPS units currently in orbit.
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