Difference between revisions of "Starlink"

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'''Starlink''' is a [[satellite constellation]] currently being constructed by SpaceX to provide fast internet access worldwide.
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[[File:Starlink Mission (47926144123).jpg|thumb|600x600px]]
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'''Starlink''' is a [[satellite constellation]] currently being constructed by [[SpaceX]] to provide fast internet access worldwide.
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It may eventually be used at Mars to provide [[Interplanetary communications]].  One of the stated goals of Starlink is to provide a constant revenue to finance SpaceX's Mars settlement plans.
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
The first concept of Starlink was first announced in January 2015<ref>''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcJcQA0-qDU Elon Musk Announces Plan for Internet Satellite Network 2015]''. YouTube.</ref> 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.<ref>"[https://www.elonx.net/starlink-compendium/ Starlink Compendium]". ElonX. December 21, 2019. </ref> These sixty satellites launched aboard a Falcon 9 on 24 May 2019 from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
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The first concept of [[w:Starlink|Starlink]] was first announced in January 2015<ref>''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcJcQA0-qDU Elon Musk Announces Plan for Internet Satellite Network 2015]''. YouTube.</ref> 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.<ref>"[https://www.elonx.net/starlink-compendium/ Starlink Compendium]". ElonX. December 21, 2019. </ref> These sixty satellites launched aboard a Falcon 9 on 24 May 2019 from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
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Total satellites currently working:
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*May  2021: 1578
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*Sept 2022: 2287
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==Technology==
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*The satellites will employ optical inter-satellite links and phased array beam-forming and digital processing technologies in the Ku- and Ka-bands<ref name=":0">Wikipedia Starlink article : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starlink</ref>.  This corresponds to 5G speeds, or about 50-200 Mbit/s.
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*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<ref name=":0" />.
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
<references />
 
<references />

Latest revision as of 11:40, 5 October 2022

Starlink Mission (47926144123).jpg

Starlink is a satellite constellation currently being constructed by SpaceX to provide fast internet access worldwide.

It may eventually be used at Mars to provide Interplanetary communications. One of the stated goals of Starlink is to provide a constant revenue to finance SpaceX's Mars settlement plans.

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:

  • May 2021: 1578
  • Sept 2022: 2287

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]. This corresponds to 5G speeds, or about 50-200 Mbit/s.
  • 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