FAQ News 6 June 2025 - 7 June 2025

Satellite Phones: Comprehensive Global FAQ

Iridium operates about 66 LEO satellites at roughly 780 km, offering truly global coverage including the poles with a one-way latency around 0.1–0.2 seconds. Inmarsat uses 3–4 GEO satellites at about 35,786 km, delivering near-global coverage (roughly ±70° latitude) with about 0.5 second latency, and IsatPhone 2 offers up to 8 hours of talk and 160 hours of standby. Thuraya, based in the UAE, operates 2 GEO satellites covering roughly 160 countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia, with XT-LITE priced around $650. Globalstar currently operates a Gen2 constellation of 24 LEO satellites at about 1,414 km,

7 June 2025

Starlink Satellite Internet FAQ

Starlink is SpaceX’s satellite-based broadband internet service, and by 2025 the constellation has launched over 7,500 satellites with about 6,750 active in orbit. The satellites orbit in low Earth orbit at roughly 550 km altitude, delivering typical download speeds of 50–200+ Mbps and latency around 20–40 ms. SpaceX began launching Starlink in 2019, and by early 2025 it served more than 5 million customers in 125+ countries. The residential Starlink kit costs about $599 in many regions, with US promotions as low as $349, and monthly service typically $90–$120, with occasional $0 hardware deals tied to multi-month commitments. There are

7 June 2025

Connectivity · FAQ · NASDAQ:TMUS · Satellite Internet · Space Technology · Starlink

Satellite Internet FAQ

Traditional GEO satellite internet sends data roughly 22,000 miles to a satellite and back, yielding a round-trip latency of about 600–800 ms. Satellite internet can reach virtually anywhere with a clear view of the sky, including most of the continental United States. HughesNet uses geostationary satellites and advertises speeds up to 25 Mbps download and about 3 Mbps upload on all plans. Viasat offers downloads from roughly 12 Mbps up to 100 Mbps with uploads around 3 Mbps. Starlink uses a low-Earth orbit constellation and typically provides 50–200 Mbps download and 20–40 Mbps upload with latency around 20–40 ms. Amazon’s

6 June 2025

Connectivity · FAQ · Internet Access · NASDAQ:AMZN · NASDAQ:SATS · NASDAQ:VSAT · Satellite Internet · Technology

Satellite Technologies FAQ

Sputnik 1, launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957, was the first artificial satellite. Explorer 1 became the United States’ first satellite in 1958. As of 2025, there are roughly 11,000+ active satellites orbiting Earth, with tens of thousands of pieces of inactive satellites and debris. Geostationary satellites orbit about 35,786 km (22,236 miles) above the equator and stay fixed over one ground spot. Most satellites use solar panels with large arrays and rechargeable batteries to power their instruments and systems, including during eclipses. The first known accidental collision of two satellites occurred in 2009. Starlink is SpaceX’s

6 June 2025

Communication · FAQ · Information · Satellite Technology · Space Tech