SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says the company’s Starlink satellite internet constellation has reached a major milestone.
On June 25th, Musk tweeted that Starlink “exceeded the strategically important threshold of 69,420” simultaneously active users.
In a follow-up tweet, Musk said “all 72 orbital planes” will be activated in August, which will enable global coverage. Polar regions, however, will not get coverage until six months later, Musk noted.
All 72 orbital planes activate in August, plus many other improvements, enabling global coverage, except for polar regions, which will take another 6 months
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 25, 2021
Starlink is SpaceX’s ambitious project to offer high-speed, low latency internet on a global level using satellites. The service is currently in beta, which makes Musk’s August activation timeline particularly noteworthy. This is also slightly ahead of the September window that Starlink president Gwynne Shotwel provided earlier this week.
In May, internet speed test service Ookla reported that Starlink’s latency was higher in all provinces surveyed during Q1 2021 than other providers. As Musk mentioned, “many other improvements” are expected to come to Starlink when the planes are activated, which means the service should get even better over time.
Additionally, Musk reiterated that SpaceX has been working with airlines to implement Starlink coverage on flights. In a response to a Twitter user, Musk stressed that Starlink “has to be certified for each aircraft type,” so for now, SpaceX is focusing on “737 & A320,” which “serve [the] most number of people.”
Schedule driver there is regulatory approval. Has to be certified for each aircraft type. Focusing on 737 & A320, as those serve most number of people, with development testing on Gulfstream.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 25, 2021
Given Musk’s tendency to provide updates on his companies’ projects on Twitter, we’ll likely hear more about Starlink in the coming weeks.
