SpaceX Conducts 4th Starlink Launch Within a Month; Deploys 60 Satellites

SpaceX successfully completed its fourth Starlink mission in under a month, adding a further 60 satellites to its constellation. That takes the number of satellites launched this month to 240, an incredible achievement.

Starlink Blasts Off

SpaceX used its Falcon-9 rocket for the mission, as usual. What warrants the mention is the fact that the booster served on five earlier missions too. As of now, over 1,000 Starlink satellites are currently in orbit.

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1374655811146768386

However, that number is less than 10% of 12,000 total planned satellites in the constellations. Incredibly, SpaceX has submitted filings to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), requesting permission to launch 30,000 additional Starlink satellites. That will take the total number to a staggering 42,000 satellites in orbit.

Currently, the Elon Musk-led space tech firm plans to launch 60 satellites at a time, launching 1,440 satellites by the end of 2021. This month, SpaceX has conducted launches on 4th, 11th, 14th and on 24th.

Right now, Starlink's biggest rival is expected to be Amazon’s Project Kuiper. Amazon received a green light by the FCC last year to launch 3,236 of its own satellites. “We are doing an incredible amount of invention to deliver fast, reliable broadband at a price that makes sense for customers,” Rajeev Badyal, Vice President of Technology for Project Kuiper, said at the time.

Starlink also plans to reach India by 2022. Starlink’s £439 hardware cost and £89/month service fee reflect that this isn’t a broadband solution designed for everyone—rural communities with limited other connectivity options are the target market. However, in India, Starlink will launch at a initial cost of Rs. 7,300 on hardware costs. The subscription costs are not yet available.

Demand appears to be high for the satellite broadband service. That does not seem to be the issue, though, as the service keeps expanding at a rapid rate. I estimate that Starlink will capture the satellite broadband market much sooner than anyone else has even put up any satellites. This holds the potential to revolutionize connectivity - the speeds are reaching 300 Mbps, with 20 ms latency. Watch this space, because Elon plans to propel rural connectivity faster than anyone else. And he might end up doing it.