Starlink
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Starlink is a satellite constellation currently being constructed by SpaceX to provide fast internet access worldwide.
History
The first concept of Starlink was first announced in January 2015[1] by Elon Musk. The project was kept closely under wraps for the next four years until scheduling the launch of the first batch of experimental Starlink satellites in May 2019.[2] These sixty satellites launched aboard a Falcon 9 on 24 May 2019 from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
Total satellites currently working (16 May 2021): 1578
Technology
The satellites will employ optical inter-satellite links and phased array beam-forming and digital processing technologies in the Ku- and Ka-bands[3].
Starlink satellites use Hall-effect thrusters with krypton gas as the reaction mass for orbit raising and station keeping. Krypton Hall thrusters tend to exhibit significantly higher erosion of the flow channel compared to a similar electric propulsion system operated with xenon, but have a lower propellant cost[3].
References
- ↑ Elon Musk Announces Plan for Internet Satellite Network 2015. YouTube.
- ↑ "Starlink Compendium". ElonX. December 21, 2019.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Wikipedia Starlink article : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starlink
