While attracting more and more customers, Starlink is being put to many innovative uses. In Japan, a consortium has launched a drone delivery service powered by SpaceX satellite internet, as reported by NIPPON.
The consortium consists of KDDI Corp., a telecom company, Zenrin Co., a map maker, and others. The new delivery service was launched in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, in eastern Japan.
The delivery service uses drones connected to SpaceX’s Starlink network. Its impact is being felt already as it allows residents in one of the prefecture’s districts cut off by a mudslide to get food and other necessities regularly.
Residents can take delivery of items once a week until the end of March using drones that can support up to 5 kg. The drones operate autonomously within up to a 3 km radius.
KDDI points out its offering is the first regular drone service using Starlink to be launched in Japan. The telecoms company set up a base station in Chichibu for its mobile phone service that is compatible with Starlink.
Using Starlink means KDDI does not need to set up an optical fibre network, a difficult task in the mountainous region.
You can see the drones in action in the video below:
Other companies have used Starlink in the aviation, maritime, and defense industries.
