SpaceX.
Starlink is a satellite internet constellation operated by Starlink Services, LLC, a subsidiary of SpaceX, an American aerospace company. The service provides internet coverage across more than 100 countries and territories, with the goal of offering global mobile broadband. Starlink has played a key role in supporting the growth of SpaceX.
SpaceX began launching Starlink satellites in 2019. As of September 2024, the constellation includes over 7,000 small mass-produced satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) that communicate with ground transceivers. Plans include deploying nearly 12,000 satellites, with a potential expansion to 34,400. In December 2022, Starlink surpassed 1 million subscribers, and by September 2024, the number had reached 4 million.
The SpaceX satellite development facility in Redmond, Washington, is home to Starlink’s research, development, manufacturing, and orbit control operations. In May 2018, SpaceX estimated that the cost of designing, building, and deploying the Starlink constellation would exceed $10 billion. In 2022, Starlink generated $1.4 billion in revenue but reported a net loss, with a small profit emerging in 2023. By May 2024, revenue projections for the year were $6.6 billion, later revised to $7.7 billion. Revenue is expected to reach $11.8 billion in 2025.
Starlink has been widely used during the Russo-Ukrainian War and has been contracted by the United States Department of Defense for this purpose. Additionally, Starshield, a military version of Starlink, is specifically designed for government use.
Astronomers have expressed concerns about the potential impact of the Starlink constellation on ground-based astronomy and the increasing congestion in Earth’s orbit. To address these concerns, SpaceX has implemented measures to reduce the satellites’ brightness during operation. The satellites are equipped with Hall-effect thrusters, enabling them to adjust their orbits, maintain their positions, and de-orbit at the end of their operational lives. They are also designed to autonomously avoid collisions by using uplinked tracking data.
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