SpaceX Internet is now present on all continents of the world
Elon Musk’s space company now provides American scientists in Antarctica with Starlink satellite internet, writes ZDNet. The service thus now covers all continents of the world.
The day before, the National Science Foundation of the United States announced that the recently connected SpaceX terminal had started working in test mode at the American Antarctic station McMurdo. It is the largest station in Antarctica and serves as a logistics center for the fund-funded United States Antarctic Program (USAP).
Currently, several satellites owned by NASA, the US Department of Defense, Airbus and satellite communications operator Iridium help maintain communications at the South Pole for USAP. However, in addition to scientists, the same satellite system is used by a number of other organizations, including the ISS, the Hubble Space Telescope, and others, so they need to reserve access to communication three to four weeks in advance to transmit research results. And research is carried out here in a wide range of fields: astrophysics, geology, glaciology, oceanology, meteorology, and so on. SpaceX will help provide scientists with communication with increased bandwidth when conducting work and interacting with colleagues across the ocean.
For the last year, Starlink spacecraft have been equipped with laser communication. Its presence between satellites reduces the system’s dependence on ground stations and significantly reduces signal delay.
SpaceX’s constellation of low-orbit satellites already has more than 3,200 pieces. In the future, the group will expand to 12,000 devices. In addition, the company has submitted an application for launching another 30,000 satellites into space.
