Starlink internet has been changing the world of satellite internet in just a few short years with the help of SpaceX. 

Starlink is an internet company that started with SpaceX. The CEO for SpaceX is Elon Musk.

SpaceX was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk who was seeking more cost effective and reusable space travel. Starlink has 3,580 satellites at the moment but plans to deploy 12,000 total in the future.

While the internet is just seen as a daily necessity, some people in rural communities have very little access to the internet. Starlink brings access to many people in low access areas. Laying 1 mile of fiber optic cable to carry internet costs $20,000 to $30,000 a mile. Starlink eliminates that by using a satellite dish to send and receive  data.

There are other satellite internets but few of them are low orbit satellites like Starlink. Speeds of Starlink can range from 50 to 500 mbps. The initial cost of the internet in your area is $500 for the base satellite and router. The cost per month is $90. The satellite can be moved unlike normal internet. Starlink has been used to help Ukraine. For a time Starlink cut coverage in Ukraine due to the militant use of the internet.

Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX’s president and chief operating officer said that it was “never  meant to be weaponized…Our intent was never to have them use it for offensive purposes.”

She stated that Ukraine was using it for drone strikes.