The Starlink satellite internet service can now be accessed by all seven continents, including Antarctica. Entrepreneur Elon Musk’s internet service provider mainly targets where people lack ground-based telecommunication infrastructure.
Last week, SpaceX tested one of the Starlink internet terminals at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. This was an essential step in establishing terminals in remote areas around the world. On Monday, Elon Musk formally announced the development on Twitter, “Starlink is now operating on all continents, including Antarctica.”
Starlink is now active on all continents, including Antarctica https://t.co/Q1VvqV5G0i
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 19, 2022
What Starlink can do
In one of its previous tweets, Musk made it clear that Starlink will be used for peaceful purposes. SpaceX’s website states, “Starlink internet operates by delivering information via the vacuum of space, where it travels considerably quicker than in fiber-optic cable and can reach many more people and locations”. The website also defines the internet service provider’s advantages and states that “Starlink enables video conversations, online gaming, streaming and other high data rate activities that traditionally have not been possible with satellite internet” at high speed and latency being as low as 20ms in most places.
As per Space.com, SpaceX has launched more than 3,200 Starlink satellites into Earth’s lower orbit. The number of launched satellites might increase as Musk has been granted permission to launch 12,000 Starlink spacecraft into orbit. In addition, he has requested a global authority to have 30,000 additional satellites authorized.
According to the published reports, SpaceX will begin launching Starlink Version 2 satellites by 2019. These satellites are much bigger and more powerful than the current ones. Elon Musk believes that the next-generation spaceships will provide services to cell phones.
Earlier the satellite service was in place in 32 countries around the world including Ukraine. According to Musk, additional satellite internet terminals were set to be placed there amid the Russia-Ukraine war.
Starlink consists of thousands of satellites, providing the planet with high-speed, low-latency internet. It aims to increase tens of thousands of more satellite in its constellations.
