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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SpaceX engineer Siva Bharadvaj, who hosted the webcast of the 2021-05-04 launch, indicated that over half a million people have placed an order or put down a deposit for Starlink.
SpaceX launched 60 Starlink satellites on 2021-05-04 from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A with liftoff at 3:01 p.m. Eastern and the Falcon 9 second stage released its payload 64 minutes later.
OneWeb moved one of its recently launched broadband spacecraft earlier 2021 following an alleged close approach with a Starlink satellite.
SpaceX is using its internal Starlink missions to test the limits of Falcon 9 booster reusability.
The next Falcon 9 Starlink launch, scheduled no earlier than 2021-05-09, is expected to use the other Falcon 9 booster that has flown nine times, most recently in March.
A total of 610 Starlink satellites had been launched so far in 2021.
The booster that completed its ninth flight on 2021-05-04 previously launched the Telstar 18 Vantage communications satellite, a set of Iridium satellites, and six other Starlink missions.
SpaceX's Transporter-1 mission in January 2021 deployed 133 commercial and government spacecraft and 10 Starlink satellites, the most spacecraft ever deployed on a single mission.
The Federal Communications Commission approved a modification of SpaceX’s license for its Starlink constellation to operate more than 2,800 additional satellites in lower orbits.
The FCC order requires SpaceX to operate its Starlink satellites at altitudes no higher than 580 km.
SpaceX currently operates about 1,350 Starlink satellites in the 540 to 570 km orbital range.
SpaceX planned a Starlink launch on 2021-04-28 to place another 60 satellites into orbit, which would raise the total number of operational Starlink satellites above 1,400.
Elon Musk requested FCC approval to operate an additional 2,824 Starlink satellites at the 540–570 km altitude range.
SpaceX is licensed to operate 1,584 Starlink satellites at orbital altitudes between 540 and 570 km.
OneWeb-0178’s course was adjusted after it was projected to come close to the Starlink-1546 satellite that launched in September 2020.
One of the satellites from OneWeb’s previous batch of 36 launched 2021-03-25 could have come too close to SpaceX’s Starlink-1546 satellite.
Starlink-1546 was launched in September 2020 and is currently in an orbit of about 450 km.
LeoLabs estimated the actual close approach distance between OneWeb-0178 and Starlink-1546 to be 1,72 m using its own data.
The U.S. Space Force’s 18th Space Control Squadron projected on 2021-03-30 that OneWeb-0178 and Starlink-1546 would come within about 60 m of each other with a 1.3% chance of collision on 2021-04-03 based on initial estimates.
SpaceX has reduced the cost of its Starlink terminal to less than half of the original $3,000 equipment cost.