Elon Musk and SpaceX have been very busy launching satellites. On September 24th, 2022 alone, 54 Starlink satellites were launched. Elon Musk, Chief of SpaceX also announced that the company manufactured around one million terminals. This milestone was reached in under two years of Starlink accepting pre-orders. Starlin offered broadband service by satellite in February 2021.
The original price for the service was $99 per month and $499 pre-tax for the kit. Starlink’s kit consisted of a terminal (satellite dish) and a router for Wi-Fi. The current price for service has gone up to $110 a month and a hardware charge for the kit to the tune of $599.
On Saturday, September 24th, SpaceX launched a rocket – the Falcon 9 – which has 52 Starlink satellites into orbit. These satellites are orbiting close to the earth now. For those interested, there are more than 3000 Starlink satellites orbiting the earth. Elon Musk also said in early September that Starlink was now accessible across all 7 continents. This statement was issued after a test was carried out in Antarctica as well.
There is no updated information about the number of Starlink subscribers. According to information published in May 2022 by the FCC, the company says it has around 400,000 subscribers across the globe. Some of the manufactured terminals are for individual consumers. SpaceX is making inroads by signing deals with cruise companies like Royal Caribbean. SpaceX has shipped quite a few terminals to embattled Ukraine since it activated service in February. This shipment is helping the country to have a stable internet infrastructure after Russian attacks on different fronts.
