Starlink's internet constellation's polar service is getting seriously tested in one of the most remote areas on Earth. SpaceX has long endorsed Starlink's potential as a high-speed internet service provider to rural areas and underserved communities, and now it will beam into the United States Antarctic Program's (USAP) McMurdo Station research outpost, Space.com reported.
The US National Science Foundation said via Twitter on September 14 that the NSF-supported USAP scientists in Antarctica are ecstatic as they will be testing Starlink's polar service with a newly deployed user terminal at the research outpost. They hope this will increase the bandwidth and connectivity needed to support scientific research.
Faster Bandwidth in Antarctica
The McMurdo Station is a major climate science and geology hub and already has a satellite uplink through a traditional internet provider. But with the fierce competition, there is also limited bandwidth available, and scientists hope that using a Starlink terminal will hopefully alleviate it.
Starlink has always aimed to deliver high-speed, low-latency internet connections to even the most remote areas in the world to give people in these regions access faster internet.
SpaceX won the Federal Communications Commission's approval in 2021 to send 2,824 satellites to a lower orbit to provide high-speed broadband internet services to people who lack access. However, the approval has been upheld since last month.
Nonetheless, they will now be providing McMurdo Station satellite internet. PC Magazine reports that the research outpost previously relied on satellite internet from other providers, but the broadband quality of a 17Mbps connection is shared for the entire research facility, which houses more than 1,000 people.
Meanwhile, Starlink offers faster broadband because of the position of its satellites in lower orbits. Residents will have download speeds of 50 to 200Mbps; businesses will have 100 to 350Mbps via a high-performance dish that can withstand the extreme cold of up to -22 degrees Fahrenheit.
Glaciologist Peter Neff told The Verge in November 2021 that high-speed internet could change the living experience of people in Antarctica.
No Ground Stations Needed
SpaceX has continuously sent Starlink satellites to space and orbit over the coldest and most remote areas on Earth, such as Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland, and the Nordic countries.
Interesting Engineering reports that Starlink satellites typically fetch internet from ground stations, but the upgraded relay stations in the polar orbit use new internet beacons that feature satellite-to-satellite laser communications links, which reduces time lost when relaying data using ground stations.
SpaceX has launched more than 3,200 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit after carrying out 61 launches in the past few years.
SpaceX noted that this is not the traditional setup they have. But the remote location of Antarctica allowed them to use Starlink's space laser network, which may sound cool because they allow high-speed connections between distant satellites as long as the laser points in the right direction.
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