The world’s richest people, Elon Musk’s company SpaceX is engaged in proceeding its Starlink satellite internet service to remote areas. The company has started testing its service in the coldest and uninhabited area of the world. Yes, you read it right, the company is now planning to provide internet service to Antarctica. Now it is potentially accessible at McMurdo Station off Antarctica coast. It assures that Starlink’s internet service is now available on all seven continents. McMurdo Station is a research outpost operated by the United States Antarctic Program(USAP).
On Wednesday, this information was given by the US National Science Foundation on Starlink, says report. Along with the recently deployed user terminal, it is testing Polar service at McMurdo station, thereby increasing bandwidth and connectivity. SpaceX is also celebrating this achievement. This capability is enabled by Starlink’s Space Laser Network in remote places like Antarctica.
Crucially, SpaceX has launched more than 3,200 Starlink satellites into low earth orbit. The company has permission to launch 12,000 Starlink spacecraft, although applications have been made to send 30,000 more satellites into orbit.
SpaceX and US-based T-Mobile are working on a project called Coverage Above and Beyond along with this. Its goal is to provide T-Mobile customers with smartphone connectivity everywhere. If everything goes right, SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network will begin service directly to smartphones next year. This means, the network will appear right from the satellite to the phone.
‘Starlink version 2’ which is required by Coverage Above and Beyond is supposed to launch next year. It will be about something 23 feet long and 1.25 tonnes. Moreover, this version will be much larger than the existing Starlink satellites, which are 300 kg. A next generation transportation system called ‘Starship’ will be required by the company to launch ‘Starlink Version 2’.