Starlink Coverage Boost: Elon Musk Reveals 10,000 New Terminals in 3 Weeks in Major Update

Elon Musk provided some major updates on SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites project. It has reportedly reached 100,000 subscribers, with pending applications from many other countries. He also teased its expansion coming in these next few months.

Starlink is a network of satellites shipped to orbit around the Earth to deliver high-speed internet service to customers anywhere around the globe. This plan drafted thousands of satellites in its program that was designed to mimic constellations in space.

Several users are already subscribed to Starlink program through its beta internet service, launched at the end of 2020. Interested customers could use the satellite internet program by paying $99 per month of service and $499 upfront to buy the Starlink Kit. The latter package includes a satellite antenna dish, a stand, a Wi-Fi router, and a power supply.

Starlink internet speeds are recently recorded at 50Mbps to 150Mbps with latency from 20ms to 40ms. Notably, customers also experience brief periods of internet loss whenever satellites orbit was out of range. The company emphasized that service would get better as Starlink progresses its development.

Starlink Terminals: Elon Musk Tweets Service Growth

Starlink is an initiative program of SpaceX, which took advantage of the latter's resources in space transportation services. As of last week, SpaceX wrote a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) about its interest in using the incoming Starship rocket as a delivery vehicle to send out Starlink Gen 2 satellites in space.

For reference, SpaceX has already launched 1,740 Starlink satellites in space and aims to add 30,000 more sometime this year.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk recently tweeted that the company shipped over 100,000 Starlink terminals across the globe. According to CNBC, this is a 10,000 growth added to the 90,000 registered users declared on their July report.

Musk also emphasized that Starlink is serving 14 countries, with license applications pending for others. If these applications get approved, the company said it is excited to serve customers anywhere on Earth.

For interested customers, there are three online tools you could use to check if Starlink is available in your area. Based on the number of satellites available in your current location, Starlink's internet speeds might vary.

SpaceX Plans for Starlink Program

According to CNBC, Starlink might spin-off as a satellite business with a separated initial public offering (IPO) from SpaceX. This is because Starlink is a capital-intensive program for SpaceX, estimated to cost $10 billion during its development.

Understandably, Starlink is an expensive program. Its developers emphasized its growing potential through draft plans of expanding internet service to mobile vehicles like airplanes, ships, and trucks. While Starlink showcased a strong market of interested customers, it still has many satellites to develop and improvements to make.

Starlink is unfortunately far from completion. However, its current performance shows good progress, especially for its long term potential.