Starlink
Starlink is a satellite constellation development project underway by American company SpaceX,[1] to develop a low-cost, high-performance satellite bus and requisite customer ground transceivers to implement a new space-based Internet communication system.[2][3] SpaceX also plans to sell satellites that use a satellite bus that may be used for military,[4] scientific or exploratory purposes.[5]
Starlink constellation, phase 1, first orbital shell: approximately 1,600 satellites at 550 km altitude
SpaceX has plans to deploy nearly 12,000 satellites in three orbital shells by the mid-2020s: initially placing approximately 1600 in a 550-kilometer (340 mi)-altitude shell, subsequently placing ~2800 Ku– and Ka-band spectrum sats at 1,150 km (710 mi) and ~7500 V-band sats at 340 km (210 mi).[6] The total cost of the decade-long project to design, build and deploy such a network is estimated at nearly US$10 billion.[7]
Product development began in 2015, and two prototype test-flight satellites were launched in February 2018. A second set of test satellites and the first large deployment of a piece of the constellation occurred on 24 May 2019 (UTC) when the first 60 operational satellites were launched.[8] Initial commercial operation of the constellation could begin in 2020.[9]
The SpaceX satellite development facility in Redmond, Washington, houses the research, development, manufacturing and on-orbit control operations for the satellite Internet project.