SpaceX Plans Consumer Starlink Broadband Launch for Northern US in 2020
SpaceX confirms its intention to begin offering Starlink satellite broadband to consumers in the northern United States and parts of Canada starting in 2020. The company requires six to eight satellite launches to initiate this regional service.
SpaceX confirms its plan to roll out Starlink satellite broadband service to consumers starting in 2020. President and COO Gwynne Shotwell shares that the company needs to launch between six and eight grouped payloads of Starlink satellites to meet this timeline. This initial phase focuses on providing coverage to the northern United States and parts of Canada.
While this initial batch brings regional service online, SpaceX ultimately requires 24 launches to achieve full global coverage. Shotwell notes that the company continues to launch additional satellites even after reaching that global milestone to expand and improve network quality. To support future growth, SpaceX recently files paperwork to expand its total constellation size to an unprecedented 42,000 satellites.
This massive satellite network serves as a crucial revenue driver to fund SpaceX's more ambitious projects, including eventual Mars missions. The company actively works to reduce launch costs through the development of its heavy-lift Starship vehicle. Meanwhile, SpaceX is already testing the Starlink network for the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, with Shotwell hinting that consumer pricing targets the current $80 many Americans pay for sub-par internet service.