SpaceX aims to revolutionize Starlink’s satellite internet with 1 Gbps speeds: Technical analysis.
SpaceX’s Plan to Bring Starlink to 1 Gbps
SpaceX, the aerospace company led by Elon Musk, is aiming to take the speed of its Starlink service to a new level, from the current 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps. This ambitious project is in the process of obtaining approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), responsible for regulating telecommunications in the United States. To achieve this, the company submitted an application on October 11, detailing how they plan to make these improvements.
How Does SpaceX Plan to Achieve This Speed?
To carry out this drastic change in Starlink’s speed, SpaceX has designed a plan that includes multiple upgrades in both orbital parameters and the configuration of their Gen2 satellites. One of the main changes will be placing satellites in lower orbits, between 475 and 485 kilometers, allowing for better coverage per orbital plane without increasing the total number of approved Gen2 satellites for launch.
With this change, SpaceX ensures that space sustainability will increase and spectrum management will improve, ensuring better efficiency in sharing orbital space with other operators. Currently, there are 7,500 Gen2 satellites, although SpaceX estimates that they will need up to 29,988 satellites to achieve the 1 Gbps speed.
Starship and the Next Generation of Starlink
Elon Musk has made it clear that the third generation of Starlink satellites, known as Gen3, will be crucial to achieving this speed increase. According to his own statements, the satellites will be so large that they can only be launched by the Starship spacecraft, currently in development. These new satellites will allow for a 10x increase in bandwidth, as well as reduce latency due to operating at a lower altitude.
While current Starlink customers experience download speeds between 25 and 220 Mbps, with an average close to 100 Mbps, SpaceX promises that the next generation will reach 1 Gbps, meeting the expectations set since 2016 when the company first announced plans to offer gigabit speeds.
Challenges and FCC Approval
Despite the enthusiasm surrounding this project, SpaceX still needs to obtain FCC approval to implement these changes. The regulatory agency has shown skepticism in the past regarding some of the company’s claims, and it is possible that competitors may raise objections, arguing that SpaceX’s modifications could interfere with other spectrum users or satellite operators.
Furthermore, while the launch of Gen3 satellites with Starship is a key step towards achieving higher speeds, SpaceX will focus on optimizing its current Gen2 network with hardware upgrades and digital processing improvements to provide a more robust and efficient coverage.
In summary, while SpaceX’s plans are ambitious, it remains to be seen how the project will evolve and if it will obtain the necessary regulatory approval to make 1 Gbps satellite internet a reality.
