Starlink, a division of SpaceX, is a satellite internet constellation operator aiming to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband internet to underserved areas globally. With over 7,000 satellites in low Earth orbit as of March 2025, Starlink offers internet services with download speeds between 50 and 220 Mbps. It utilizes phased array antennas and optical space lasers for global coverage and supports various applications, including remote work, disaster recovery, and IoT. Keywords associated with Starlink are satellite internet, SpaceX, broadband, and LEO constellation.
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The Falcon 9 booster used on the 2022-02-25 launch previously launched the Sentinel-6A Michael Freilich spacecraft, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft for NASA, and one Starlink mission.
SpaceX launched the 50 Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
SpaceX worked with the government of Tonga to provide Starlink connectivity after a volcanic eruption in January broke submarine cables serving the Pacific island nation.
NASA submitted a 2022-02-08 letter outlining concerns about SpaceX’s Starlink proposal, including increased conjunctions between Starlink satellites and other space objects and interference with satellite and ground-based science.
SpaceX launched 50 Starlink satellites to Low Earth Orbit on Friday, 2022-02-25 at 9:12 a.m. PST.
COMSPOC predicts that SpaceX’s Starlink constellation could perform as many as 80 automated collision-avoidance maneuvers per day due to Cosmos 1408 debris, given a maneuver threshold of a 1-in-100,000 collision probability.
The United States Space Force’s 18th Space Control Squadron found no evidence that Starlink-1095 or Starlink-2305 made a close approach to China’s space station that met the threshold of established emergency collision criteria.
COMSPOC found that Starlink satellites account for about 7% of all close approaches with China’s space station and that the majority of close approaches are caused by debris, including debris from China’s 2007 anti-satellite weapon test.
The United States filed a note verbale with the U.N. dated 2022-01-28 and published by the U.N. Office for Outer Space Affairs on 2022-02-03 that indicates the U.S. never received contact from China about close approaches by Starlink-1095 and Starlink-2305 prior to China's note.
Falcon 9’s second stage deployed the 49 Starlink satellites into an orbit with a perigee of approximately 210 km above Earth.
Falcon 9 launched 49 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit on Thursday, 2022-02-03 at 1:13 p.m. EST from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The Starlink team worked with the U.S. Space Force’s 18th Space Control Squadron and LeoLabs to provide updates on the satellites using ground radars.
A geomagnetic storm significantly impacted the Starlink satellites deployed on Friday following the 2022-02-03 launch.
Deploying Starlink satellites to lower orbits requires more capable satellites at a considerable cost to SpaceX.
SpaceX plans to use Starship for Starlink satellite launches and the dearMoon circumlunar mission organized by Yusaku Maezawa.
The 2022-02-10 OneWeb launch occurred less than a week after a batch of Starlink satellites encountered a geomagnetic storm during their post-launch climb to operational orbits.
Up to 80% of the Starlink satellites launched by SpaceX on 2022-02-03 will soon reenter or have already reentered because a geomagnetic storm kept them from raising their orbits.
About three-quarters of the small satellites launched in 2021 belonged to Starlink and OneWeb.
NASA anticipates that current and planned science missions, as well as human spaceflight operations, will see an increase in conjunctions if Starlink Gen 2 is deployed.
Geomagnetic storms can increase the density of the upper atmosphere, including at the initial low orbit SpaceX uses to check out Starlink satellites before raising them to higher operational orbits.