SpaceX Launches 11th Batch of Starlink Satellites

Yesterday, SpaceX successfully launched its 11th batch of Starlink internet satellites. Tuesday marked the company’s 14th mission of 2020 and its 99th to date. A reusable Falcon 9 rocket made its sixth landing on SpaceX’s “Of Course I Still Love You” sea drone barge.

The launches are so routine they're almost boring...but who are we kidding, space will never be boring. Now that nearly 600 Starlink satellites are in low Earth orbit (LEO), let’s check up on their mission.

Beaming internet from space

Starlink beta testers’ speed tests suggest the service currently could deliver download speeds of 11-60Mbps and upload speeds of 4.5-17.7Mbps. Latency (i.e. lag) ranged from 20-94 milliseconds. Ookla, which analyzes internet speeds, told PCMag that the tests look legit.

• Work in progress: SpaceX eventually wants to provide 1Gbps internet speeds and operate as many as 12,000 satellites.

So what? Let’s add context to that mess of numbers. In rural parts of the U.S., median download speeds were 16-20Mbps in the first few months of 2020. It’s too soon to say whether Starlinks’ speeds would be a consistent improvement over incumbents in rural America. As for latency, SpaceX achieved its goal of staying under 100ms.

About that goal

The Federal Communications Commission has "serious doubts" that SpaceX and its LEO competitors can reliably deliver sub-100ms latencies. The agency’s assessment matters, because it’s subsidizing companies that help mitigate the U.S. digital divide.

• The FCC’s $20 billion Rural Digital Opportunity Fund is open to internet providers that extend broadband deployment in underserved areas.

Zoom out: Elon Musk’s ventures push the envelope with product innovation. They also creatively leverage government funding, tax credits, and subsidies. SpaceX already has prominent public-sector customers, and it may be able to compete for FCC money. Tesla turned a profit over the last year by selling credits to automakers that need to comply with emission regulations.

+ While we’re here: SpaceX is maybe upgrading a Texas launch site into a space-themed luxury resort?