© Starlink/SpaceX
As it prepares to launch a new offer which will allow it to connect to its satellites with a smartphone, Starlink (SpaceX's communications service) will considerably strengthen its constellation. Today, SpaceX’s launch rate is already very impressive. But Elon Musk's company plans to accelerate this pace next year, according to a statement from a manager.
According to the Space.com website, during a hearing in the US Senate, Bill Gerstenmaier, vice president of construction and flight reliability at SpaceX, indicated that in 2023, the company is targeting 100 flights. However, next year, it will increase the frequency to 12 flights per month, or 144 in one year. In other words, SpaceX will go from a rate of one mission every 3.9 days to one mission every 2.8 days.
And this acceleration is crucial for the development of the new mobile offer. In an article, Ars Technica cites an official who explained that with its 2 million users, the Starlink constellation must be improved. “We will also study direct communications with Starlink, and this is a key functionality that will be added next year with these 144 flights”, also indicated this manager. p>
The end of white areas
Currently, Starlink allows you to have a good internet connection in areas where there is neither fiber nor ADSL. However, to take advantage of this connection, you must purchase an antenna that can be attached to a house, boat or RV. The new offer under development should, for its part, make it possible to connect to SpaceX satellites and communicate without using the antenna.
Indeed, the particularity of the mobile offer in development is that it can be used with a 4G smartphone, without any necessary modification to the hardware and software of the device. Satellites will act exactly like traditional communications infrastructures. “Direct to Cell works with existing LTE phones anywhere you can see the sky”, reads the Starlink website.
Initially, the offer will allow the sending of SMS from 2024. From 2025, it will also include calls and mobile data. To offer this mobile connection via satellites, Starlink works with operators. And currently its partners are T-Mobile in the United States, Rogers in Canada, KDDI in Japan, Optus in Australia, One NZ in New Zealand and SALT in Switzerland.
- < li>SpaceX will increase from 100 flights in 2023 to 144 flights in 2024
- It will increase the number of satellites in its constellation in order to support its new communication service for smartphones in 2024
- This will allow the sending of SMS from 2024, then calls and mobile data will arrive in 2025
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