PLEASANT FARMS, Texas — From sending people into space to using technology that's up there to benefit people back on the ground, Starlink and SpaceX are working to provide internet from space to people back on Earth.
Starlink satellites have been launched into orbit several times this year, but what exactly do these satellites do?
"As of today, we've launched more than 750 Starlink satellites into orbit. Starlink is a consolation of satellites that can provide high-speed, low-latency Internet all over the globe, particularly in remote areas where connectivity is limited or completely unavailable," said Andy Tran, production supervisor for Starlink.
Starlink has helped emergency responders already and the beta test results have the Starlink crew excited for the future.
"As we get ready for a public beta roll out before the end of the year the Starlink team continues testing the system collecting latency data, performing speed test of the service. So far the feedback from the private beta testers have been really promising. Initial results from these tests have shown super low-latency download speeds of greater than 100 megabits per second," Tran said.
Before launch, a large group of satellites are placed together at the top of the rocket before eventually separating in space.
Once in space, the satellites will eventually be able to separate from the 60 or so also being launched and move to their designated locations to provide service all over.
"The satellites are slowly separating from the second stage. Shortly they will deploy their solar rays over the next few weeks to distance themselves from one another and use their onboard ion thrusters to make their way back to make their operational orbit," Tran said.