SpaceX Starlink Expands Internet Services to Antarctica

A rigorous remote-service test is being conducted for SpaceX's Starlink broadband constellation, and it has recently started its internet services in the chilly continent of Antarctica.

Beaming into McMurdo Station

Starlink has long been hailed by SpaceX as having the potential to connect the world by providing high-speed internet to those in remote places and other underserved communities.

Staying true to its words, Starlink broadband is now beaming into McMurdo Station, a research outpost administered by the United States Antarctic Program, one of the most isolated communities on Earth (USAP), as reported first by Space.com.

"NSF-supported USAP scientists in #Antarctica are over the moon! Starlink is testing polar service with a newly deployed user terminal at McMurdo Station, increasing bandwidth and connectivity for science support," the U.S. National Science Foundation said in a tweet on Wednesday, Sept. 14.

The achievement was also recognized by SpaceX. The company said that Starlink is now available on every continent, all thanks to Starlink's space laser network, making it possible to connect to a place as distant as Antarctica.

More than 3,200 Starlink satellites have now been launched by SpaceX into low Earth orbit. If everything goes as planned, the constellation will expand to even larger proportions.

In fact, SpaceX has been given a license to launch 12,000 Starlink spacecraft, and the firm has asked a global regulatory body for permission to launch a further 30,000 satellites into orbit.

Starlink Version 2 satellites, which are far bigger and more powerful than the present version, will be launched by SpaceX starting next year.

SpaceX's Next-Gen Spacecraft

According to SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk, those next-generation spacecraft would be able to beam service directly to cellphones.

In fact, Musk revealed last month that T-Mobile and SpaceX had agreed to work together on a project called "Coverage Above and Beyond" to offer this service.

SpaceX has also expanded its Starlink internet service in South East Asia, starting with the Philippines. For the past few years, the Philippines has always been at the bottom of the list regarding internet speed.

When it comes to the speed of broadband internet, the country is ranked 89th in 2021. The average download speed in the Asian nation is 46.44 Mbps. But after the expansion, it is anticipated that WiFi speed conditions will improve after Starlink enters the Philippines.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla