Since 2019 SpaceX has been launching monthly Starlink missions to build its broadband satellite constellation that consists of deploying over 20,000 internet-beaming satellites. The company significantly increased its launch cadence in 2020 and early 2021, launching Falcon 9 rockets carrying 60 Starlink satellites per mission roughly twice per month. To date, SpaceX has deployed a total of 1,740 satellites to low Earth orbit. The company suddenly stopped its Starlink deployments since June 30. On Tuesday, August 24, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell participated at the 36th annual Space Symposium (video below) during which she revealed why the company has not launched any Falcon 9 Starlink missions. Shotwell said that SpaceX decided to pause Starlink launches to complete manufacturing the first batches of next-generation satellites equipped with laser communication links. “We're flying a number of laser terminals right now in space,” Shotwell said, stating that they are working on manufacturing enough satellites with lasers to launch on upcoming missions. “[…] That's why we have been struggling for six or eight weeks — we wanted the next set to have laser terminals on them.” SpaceX’s next Starlink mission is “roughly three weeks” away, she added.
Only a dozen of the operating satellites are in Polar Orbit and feature ‘laser links’ (a.k.a. space lasers) that enable the satellites to communicate with each other without the need of communicating directly with a ground station on the ground, enabling a faster data transfer rate in orbit. The satellites with inter-satellite laser links operating in Polar Orbit are capable of beaming internet service to regions like Alaska without the need for ground stations situated over the poles. SpaceX engineers shared last year that the ‘space lasers’ are “able to transfer hundreds of gigabytes of data.” The data speed increases because light travels faster in a vacuum compared to optical cables, so information sent through Starlink arrives significantly faster.
Shotwell also discussed other aspects of their Starlink division at the Space Symposium. She mentioned that the company is working to reduce the manufacturing costs of its Starlink phased-array dish antenna. “[…] We were able to tackle almost all the elements of the cost before we rolled out service, with the exception of the user terminal [dish]. I can say, not proudly, that with every customer we acquire we lose money on the user terminal because the cost … is higher than the average consumer can afford,” Shotwell said. Company officials previously said that it costs them approximately $1,000 USD to make each customer dish terminal, that is currently priced at $499 USD – they lose half of the initial investment per every user terminal. Shotwell said that SpaceX is working to reduce their production cost, “…We think we can cut that in half yet again,” she said. This week, SpaceX founder Elon Musk said the company has shipped 100,000 Starlink terminals to customers across 14 countries. You can watch SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell discuss more aspects of the Starlink division in the 9-minute video linked below.
SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell At 2021 Space Symposium
Elon Musk Shares SpaceX Has Shipped 100K Starlink Terminals To Customers Across 14 Countrieshttps://t.co/x5Iz9lGGec
— Tesmanian.com (@Tesmanian_com) August 24, 2021
Featured Image Source: SpaceX
About the Author
Evelyn Arevalo
Evelyn J. Arevalo joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover news as a Space Journalist and SpaceX Starbase Texas Correspondent. Evelyn is specialized in rocketry and space exploration. The main topics she covers are SpaceX and NASA.
