Elon Musk is already thinking about the next generation of Starlink, a SpaceX satellite Internet service. In an interview with Astronaut for every daythe tycoon showed that Starlink 2.0 will be much more efficient and they have already developed the first satellite and it is four times heavier than the ones that are currently in orbit.
Elon confirmed that The first Starlink 2.0 satellite is 7 meters long and weighs 1,250 kilograms.. The SpaceX CEO mentioned that due to their size and weight, new satellites cannot be launched with Falcon rockets as they do not have the volume or mass needed to put them into orbit. Starship is the only rocket that can take them into space.
We need Starship to work and fly often, otherwise Starlink 2.0 will get stuck on the ground.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk assured that the goal is not how many launches will be made per year, but what is the maximum payload that they can put into orbit. “In a constellation of satellites, what matters is what is the maximum payload mass flow for an orbit.” said.
As for its performance, Starlink 2.0 satellites are more efficient than the current version. “Just think about how many useful bits each satellite can transmit. Starlink 2.0 is almost an order of magnitude better than Starlink 1.0 in terms of useful data bits.”
The upgrade to Starlink 2.0 will take some time as it requires Starship rockets to fly constantly. Elon Musk said that new antennas are on a separate upgrade pathalthough the ones already installed will work for both versions of the satellites.
Starlink and the Future of SpaceX Satellite Internet
Elon Musk has an aggressive strategy with Starlink and started moving his pieces. SpaceX’s Internet service is limited not only to places with limited connectivity, but also to conflict zones where the Internet is needed. The most recent case is the war in Ukraine, where antennas play an important role in keeping in touch with the country in the face of escalation from Russia.
Support for Ukraine is accompanied constant enmity with the government of Vladimir Putin. In recent weeks, Elon Musk has confirmed that Russia has stepped up attacks on the Starlink service.
After a large-scale cyber attack on the Viasat satellite Internet network, hackers in the service of the Kremlin tried to reproduce the actions on SpaceX systems. Musk confirms attack on Starlink on Twitter in early May.
Starlink has so far resisted Russian cyber warfare hacking and interference attempts, but they are ramping up their efforts.
Elon Musk
Resisting cyberattacks from Russia, SpaceX’s internet is looking to expand into other areas. A few weeks ago, Starlink began testing on Delta Airlines aircraft with the goal of becoming an in-flight internet connectivity option. Elon Musk has said they will seek permission to use the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft, although it will be some time before this strategy can be implemented.
Source: Hiper Textual
