SpaceX CEO Elon Musk used an internet connection provided by his company’s Starlink constellation of broadband satellites early on Tuesday AM. Musk used the network in place with the Starlink satellites already in orbit to send a simple tweet, declaring that he’d done just that.
Starlink is SpaceX’s ambitious project to launch and operate its own network of broadband satellites, which will then provide broadband connectivity on a global level, including to areas that did not previously have reliable access to a high-speed internet connection.
This month, SpaceX signaled its intent to put as many as 30,000 more Starlink satellites into orbit, on top of a previously planned 12,000. The company is making the preparations it requires to address very strong demand, it says, and so it’s looking down the road at how large the network of small satellites potentially has to grow in order to serve all potential customers reliably.
In May 2019, SpaceX sent up its first 60 operational satellites after launching a couple of prototypes last year. The satellites will work in tandem with ground stations that receive and convert the signal.