SpaceX continues to send its satellites into space at a rapid pace, now with over 600 in low-orbit around the earth.
Private beta testing of the satellite internet service by employees of SpaceX have officially begun, and it is already providing some impressive download and upload speeds.
As the tests continue, SpaceX has requested permission from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to install up to 10 Starlink receivers on its fleet of ships, reports CNBC.
“In order to expand its assessment of the end-to-end capabilities of its satellite system, SpaceX seeks authority to test these user terminals on seagoing platforms for a period of up to two years. Specifically, SpaceX proposes to deploy a total of ten earth stations across up to ten vessels, including two autonomous spaceport droneships used to land rocket boosters at sea,” the company wrote in the FCC filing.
With the receivers, SpaceX would be able to test the reliability of the service while the drone ships are several hundred miles off-shore, acting as landing platforms for the reusable rocket boosters.
Earlier this month during the launch of the twelfth SpaceX Starlink mission, the company confirmed the public beta testing program will begin later this year. Canadians have a particularly good shot at becoming a beta tester as leaked documents show much of the targeted area includes a large swath of Canada.
