Elon Musk said more than a quarter of a million people might be receiving internet from space right now. He mentioned that more than 250,000 Starlink user terminals are presently in use. He did not, however, state that they were operational.
Given the $100 monthly subscription for high-speed internet on the Starlink service, if 250,000 individuals are now utilizing Starlink terminals, SpaceX would earn $25 million per month. That works up to $300 million per year, which is on the low side given Musk's claim of "over" 250,000 terminals. Musk is most likely talking to the number of units created to date, but he might also be referring to the total number of units built.
This long-exposure image shows a trail of a group of SpaceX's Starlink satellites passing over Uruguay as seen from the countryside some 185 km north of Montevideo near Capilla del Sauce, Florida Department, on February 7, 2021.
Elon Musk Says SpaceX Starlink User Terminals Reached 250,000
The number of user terminals on SpaceX Starlink has surpassed 250,000, and Elon Musk announced this on Twitter, indicating that internet connections will be improved.
To disseminate the service, the corporation is increasing its user terminals, which will deliver additional connectivity to various families or institutions that have registered to Starlink.
The internet corporation wants to bring more user terminals to serve people better, and it's doing so by distributing and making its services available to the general public.
There have been no comments from the CEO concerning Starlink going out of public beta and into general release, and it will remain in that state indefinitely.
A Twitter user speculated that the improved Starlink internet connection was due to the company's newly deployed satellite constellations. However, this is not the case.
Ground stations and better packet routing, according to Musk, would significantly improve the performance of the satellite internet connection for users. Not everything has to do with adding more satellites to improve the company's offerings.
SpaceX Starlink's Fees, Other Costs
Forbes said a Starlink launch costs around $15 million, which means that the launch cost alone each satellite is over $300,000, assuming 50 satellites per launch. SpaceX will repay that cost in two years at its current customer level, putting the hard cost of deploying the present Starlink constellation at $600 million.
The 40 satellites lost by SpaceX last week were caught in a geomagnetic storm shortly after launch in a low orbit, Science Times reported. Higher orbits provide protection since the main threat was the expansion of the Earth's outer atmosphere as it heats during solar storms, generating drag that causes the Starlink satellites to slow down and eventually de-orbit.
Of course, there are additional expenses, such as ground stations, research and development, satellite loss, and so on, and not all of the $100 per month represents profit that can be allocated to satellite expenditures.
SpaceX just unveiled Starlink Premium, quicker, higher-bandwidth service for companies in remote places that will generate even more cash. The business claims that deliveries will begin in the second quarter of this year and that the service would cost $500 a month.
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Check out more news and information on Starlink in Science Times.