Sky-Fi Revolution: How Starlink Is Reshaping Global Internet Access
Starlink is a SpaceX satellite internet constellation that began launching in 2019 to deliver broadband virtually anywhere on Earth. As of late 2024, SpaceX had launched over 7,000 Starlink satellites, with FCC authorization for about 12,000 and potential expansion beyond 30,000 in the future. Starlink satellites orbit at approximately 550 km altitude in multiple orbital shells, enabling lower latency than geostationary satellites. SpaceX reached 1 million Starlink subscribers by the end of 2022 and 4 million by September 2024. Each Starlink satellite is equipped with phased-array antennas, and some models include inter-satellite laser links for in-space data routing. The network