SpaceX to offer Starlink public beta in six months, Musk says
SpaceX asks FCC to approve lower orbits to boost coverage, minimize space debris. …
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SpaceX will start testing Starlink broadband service in a private beta in about three months and make it available in a public beta about six months from now, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote on Twitter yesterday. The first beta trials will occur in high latitudes, he wrote.
When asked by a Twitter user if Germany counts as a high-latitude area for purposes of the beta trial, Musk answered “yes.” Parts of the US would presumably be included in beta trials, given that SpaceX has said it plans to make Starlink service available in parts of the US this year.
The private beta would “almost certainly be reserved for SpaceX and Tesla employees and their families,” according to a Teslarati article. “Just like Tesla currently trials early software builds on employee cars, those customers would serve as much more regimented guinea pigs, likely offering detailed feedback throughout their trial of Starlink Internet.”
Meanwhile, SpaceX launched another 60 Starlink satellites yesterday. The launch, as Musk noted, gives SpaceX “420 operational Starlink satellites.”
SpaceX cuts orbital altitude in half
Meanwhile, SpaceX has asked for permission to operate thousands of Starlink satellites at much lower altitudes than originally planned, saying the change will result in better broadband coverage and less orbital debris.
SpaceX in 2018 got Federal Communications Commission approval to launch up to 4,425 low-Earth-orbit satellites at several different altitudes between 1,110km
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