SpaceX will launch thousands of internet satellites in 2019

SpaceX says it will start launching internet satellites in 2019 to provide a global network for broadband internet. According to the plan, this will ultimately require 4425 satellites. The reusable Falcon 9 launches will last until 2024.

SpaceX has told the US Senate that it will launch a prototype internet satellite before the end of this year and that it will do so again in early 2018. If SpaceX can successfully demonstrate the technique, Elon Musk’s space company wants to start launching the thousands of satellites needed for the network in 2019.

In November last year, SpaceX unveiled its plans for the network and applied to launch 800 satellites, but it was not yet known when construction of the satellite network would begin.

The satellites are placed in orbit at a relatively short distance between 1150 and 1325 kilometers. This should make fast internet possible, which can compete with fiber optic networks on land. Initially, the 800-satellite satellite network is to bring high-speed Internet access to the US, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. With 4425 satellites, SpaceX aims to enable global coverage.

SpaceX’s satellite network is many times closer to Earth than current satellite internet solutions, resulting in lower latency. The space company says it can limit the delay to less than 35ms, which is comparable to fixed connections. With current internet connections via satellites positioned much higher, the latency is 600ms or more.

Customers of the satellite networks receive a box ‘the size of a laptop’ at home that immediately receives the signals. As a result, no infrastructure needs to be built and that makes the construction of fast internet in rural areas easier, according to SpaceX. The network should allow a speed of 1Gbit/s, but SpaceX plans to offer subscriptions at different speeds.

SpaceX wants to launch the internet satellites into space with its reusable Falcon 9 rocket. The satellites have dimensions of 4×1.8×1.2 meters, excluding solar panels. Each one weighs 386kg and, according to SpaceX, the satellites have a lifespan of five to seven years. The company has not yet announced how many copies will be launched into space per launch and how many launches are needed.

SpaceX has also proposed a second satellite network, which operates even closer to Earth and consists of 7500 satellites. In the future, that should provide more capacity and lower latency in densely populated areas.

At the end of 2016, there were more than 1,400 active satellites in orbit. Also, there are thousands of inactive satellites that no longer work. SpaceX’s network would multiply the number of satellites orbiting the Earth.

Display of all current satellites via stuffin.space