The space agency SpaceX had the great idea of sending Starlink satellites into Orbit so that more and more remote regions will take advantage of internet connectivity. Almost everything nowadays is being run by the internet, and we just can’t imagine our lives without it. However, there are still areas around the globe where people are offline, and SpaceX wants to fix that by sending 12,000 Starlink satellites by 2025.
Although some scientists are worried that the night sky will become too crowded because of the satellites, and thus astronomers won’t be able to detect all the potential threats, SpaceX sticks to its plan. Therefore, the space agency will launch another set of satellites from Florida’s Space Coast on April 16.
A Falcon 9 rocket will lift the satellites into space
The mission will establish the 84th flight of a Falcon 9 rocket since 2010, and the lift-off will take place at around 5:31 p.m. EDT (2131 GMT) on April 16, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
But just how good the internet provided by the Starlink satellites will be? Elon Musk gives us an idea by saying:
It will be very low latency, and we’re targeting latency below 20 milliseconds, so somebody could play a fast response video game at a competitive level,
That’s the threshold for latency. And bandwidth? The bandwidth is a very complex question. Let’s just say somebody will be able to watch high-definition movies, play video games, and do all the things they want to do without noticing speed.
It’s wonderful to see that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic doesn’t seem to ruin SpaceX’s big plans when it comes to space exploration. Despite the critics of the purpose behind the Starlink satellites, there is significant hope that it will all turn out to be an excellent idea in the end. The night sky is huge, and the satellites cannot possibly cover it all since they will float around the Earth.
The future of SpaceX looks bright, just like its ideas when it comes to helping humanity.
