SpaceX is one step closer to delivering gigabit speeds through its Starlink satellite internet service, thanks to the successful Starship test flight over the weekend. While the test demonstrated the company’s ability to catch the booster rocket during the landing phase, an essential step toward making the world’s most powerful rocket fully reusable, it was also a building block to delivering faster and more reliable connections to users worldwide.
Michael Nicolls, SpaceX’s Vice President of Starlink Engineering, revealed the significance of the test in a post on X, noting, “The next generation Starlink satellite will launch on Starship and deliver gigabit connectivity anywhere in the world. We got one step closer to that reality today with an amazing Flight 5!”
The next generation @starlink satellite will launch on Starship and deliver gigabit connectivity anywhere in the world. We got one step closer to that reality today with an amazing Flight 5! https://t.co/tFvxInrBfU
— Michael Nicolls (@michaelnicollsx) October 13, 2024
Currently, Starlink users experience download speeds ranging from 50 Mbps to 250 Mbps, depending on location. The next step in SpaceX’s plan involves launching its “V3” satellites, which are more advanced than their predecessors, but also heavier, which is why only Starship will be able to deliver them to low-Earth orbit.
Each launch of Starship will be able to carry between 50 and 100 satellites per mission, compared to the current 20-30 caried on a Falcon 9 launch, greatly increasing the speed and efficiency of satellite deployment.
In a recent filing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reported by PCMag, SpaceX requested several updates to its second-generation Starlink network. These updates include lowering the altitude of Starlink satellites to between 475 km and 485 km from their current range of 525 km to 535 km. By orbiting closer to Earth, the satellites will be able to deliver faster, low-latency broadband to users.
In addition, SpaceX plans to harness E-band radio frequencies (71-74 GHz for downlink and 81-84 GHz for uplink), which will allow for even higher data transmission rates.
The upgraded V3 satellites will also feature enhanced hardware capable of more advanced beamforming and digital processing technologies, which will result in more efficient use of available bandwidth. This will allow for more targeted and robust coverage, especially in areas where internet access has historically been inadequate.
