What is Starlink?

Written By Nick G for AeroSpace001, Josh G for Onkla

Starlink is a global satellite constellation of internet satellites built by SpaceX. Each unit cost around 250,000 to make. Each one weighs about 500lbs. Starlink satellites use Hall-effect thrusters with krypton gas as the reaction mass for orbit raising and position keeping. This system does not directly connect its satellites to handsets (like the constellations from Iridium, Globalstar, Thuraya, and Inmarsat). Instead, it is linked to flat user terminals the size of a pizza box, which will have phased array antennas and track the satellites. The terminals can be mounted anywhere, as long as they can see the sky.

Starlink is stacked and ready to go.

The satellites are broken into 8 shells. The first five are the V1 satellites and will be launched aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. The final three shells will be with the V2 and higher satellites and they will be launched aboard SpaceX's upcoming Starship rocket.

Starlink currently services 34 countries, with North Macedonia being the newest with Starlink available. SpaceX intends to allow access to the Starlink service throughout the whole world, by just sending 32,000 satellites into orbit, to almost all of the inclinations so that the whole globe can have internet connectivity.

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