A satellite-based Internet service from SpaceX, Elon Musk's aerospace company. Announced in 2015, Starlink has expressed its desire to eventually launch 42,000 satellites. In 2021, with approximately a thousand in orbit, people in northern U.S. states and southern Canada were invited to beta test the system. In October, a nationwide rollout began.
Initial data rates are from 50 to 150 Mbps, and users are cautioned that there may be inactive periods as new satellites are interconnected. The initial fees are $99 per month with upfront cost of $499 for the dish antenna and Wi-Fi router. See
LEO.
In March 2021, SpaceX filed with the FCC to allow Starlink service to go beyond stationary residences and serve moving vehicles, ships and aircraft.
Getting Ready for Mars
Starlink is also expected to eventually provide Internet access to Mars. Musk wants to colonize Mars in the future with hopes that a million people will eventually live there to continue civilization in case World War III wipes out our planet. Needless to say... stay tuned! See
satellite Internet.