On New Year's Eve, Twitter user Aaron Taylor from Alberta and Saskatchewan, tweeted an adorable photo of his Starlink server, saying, "Starlink works fine until the cats figure out that the dish gives out a little heat on cold days."
Starlink works great until the cats find out that the dish gives off a little heat on cold days. pic.twitter.com/uyH3Kbqrie
— Aaron Taylor (@Tippen22) December 31, 2021
Elon Musk's Starlink Satellite
So far, the cute image of nearly a half-dozen cats snuggled up on a snowy satellite has received 180,000 likes on Twitter.
As reported by the New York Post, broadband internet business SpaceX customers are piling up complaints about their issues with their home Starlink satellites as it doubles as a cat bed.
On cold days, it appears that SpaceX's Starlink reception dishes are attracting local cats.
Starlink is Elon Musk's attempt to build his space enterprise as a heavyweight internet service provider employing constellations of satellites.
As spotted in the photo, at least five cats cuddling up on one of the plates in a recent Starlink customer's tweet, evidently to remain warm and make use of the heat it creates.
Starlink is SpaceX's internet service that uses orbital satellites.
SpaceX sent a record number of Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit in 2021, allowing it to provide broadband internet access to more than 20 countries.
Starlink Heat Dish for Animals
After Taylor disclosed on Twitter that he had five cats lying on his Starlink dish, then came a flurry of comments from customers who said they'd witnessed a similar pattern as a swarm of cats slept soundly on Starlink satellite receivers deployed at outdoor areas.
As reported by Futurism, Elon Musk's Starlink customers took matters into their own hands and investigated why the Starlink dish was so effective at luring cats.
With that, it was figured out that the dish receivers, dubbed "Dishy McFlatface" by SpaceX customers, were supposedly creating heat in the broadband internet company's high-latency, usage-capped regular satellite broadband service.
Furthermore, the behavior has been seen elsewhere, including on Reddit, where another customer on the Starlink subReddit reported the issue in a discussion post titled "Cats on Starlinks?"
Although Starlink's dish satellite has previously been advised to better regulate its heating system as winter approaches across the United States, the felines may advise otherwise.
Cats are gathering on top of SpaceX's low-orbit satellite to take advantage of the heat it provides them.
The dishes used by SpaceX's internet service, which utilize orbital satellites, have become a major source of feline infection on the ground.
Musk's supporters believe the dish might also serve as a winter heating point for smaller animals.
However, it is currently unknown whether the felines' new meeting location has resulted in service disruptions.
The Future of Starlink in 2022
As reported by Observer, in 2022, the Starlink constellation will continue to expand, with the year's first mission set to launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
This new mission to space will deliver 53 Starlink satellites to a 53.2-degree inclination angle to the equator orbital plane.
It's one of five orbital "shells" that SpaceX aims to fill with 4,400 satellites in total.
The launch is set for 4:49 p.m. On Thursday, Jan. 6, at 2:49 p.m. EST, a backup launch window will be available at 6:47 p.m. EST.
The Federal Communications Commission has given Elon Musk's SpaceX permission to launch and operate up to 12,000 Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit.
According to a filing with the International Telecommunication Union, SpaceX wants to launch as many as 42,000 satellites in the long run.
