From the beginning of the year to the end of June, Musk's company SpaceX has put more than 6 Starlink satellites into Earth orbit. With this number, SpaceX accounts for more than 1.000% of satellites launched worldwide in the first half of 60, according to data from astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (USA). according to the sheet Nikkei Asia.
Mr. Elon Musk spoke online at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) conference in Barcelona (Spain) about Starlink
Expanded "Empire"
Clusters of satellites located in low earth orbit allow for faster internet connections than terrestrial fixed broadband services, and Musk has invested heavily in this growing market.
According to Nikkei Asia, SpaceX has launched nearly 5.000 Starlink satellites into space since 2019 and has applied for licenses to operate a total of 42.000 satellites. The company currently has very few competitors, and Amazon Corporation, one of its competitors, plans to launch a satellite prototype by the end of the year.
Starlink has so far mainly focused on the B2B (business-to-business) segment. Royal Caribbean Group, an American cruise line, and Zipair Tokyo, a Japanese low-cost airline, are among their corporate clients. Starlink has also played an important role in Ukraine, where many ground communications facilities have been destroyed in the conflict with Russia.
After meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the US on June 20.6, Musk expressed his desire to provide satellite telecommunications services in India, saying that increasing internet access "could be extremely helpful". "in remote villages. India has a population of 1,4 billion, but only 2% of households have a high-speed fixed internet connection.
SpaceX's Starlink satellites can provide high-speed internet access when they are in orbit just 300 to 600 kilometers above the earth's surface, much lower than meteorological and satellite satellites. anomalous activity in an orbit about 36.000 km from the earth. According to Ookla, a US internet speed test provider, Starlink's speeds are at least comparable to terrestrial services, up to 40% faster than regular UK broadband and twice as fast. couple in Australia.
Opportunities and risks
Since broadcast satellites don't need cabling, there are great advantages in rural and remote areas where communication infrastructure is underdeveloped. The number of users of satellite telecommunications services is expected to more than double worldwide, from 71 million in 2022 to 153 million in 2031, according to Euroconsult, a space consulting firm.
Morgan Stanley forecasts that the global market for satellite telecommunications services will grow 13-fold from 2020 to 2040, to $95 billion, of which demand from self-driving vehicles will be the driving force. the main driving force in the market. The Starlink network is a powerful tool for self-driving cars because they can continuously update their software wherever they are. Billionaire Musk is the owner of Tesla, the world's leading maker of electric and self-driving cars.
However, satellite telecommunications is a relatively new field and not without risks. OneWeb, which operates satellites in the UK, collapsed in 2020 after running into financial difficulties and being bailed out by the government.
Even SpaceX isn't quite on solid ground. The company is trying to expand the market, while receiving large subsidies from the US government and project orders from the US Space Agency (NASA). SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said Starlink "will make money" in 2023.
