SpaceX’s Starlink division is actively moving towards its goal of becoming the largest satellite Internet provider in the world. On August 23, Elon Musk tweeted that the company delivered 100 thousand terminals to users, which are included in the set for connecting to Starlink. The provider now operates in 14 countries, including the US, Canada, Britain, Australia and the EU, and, according to Musk, is licensed “in many other countries.”
Up to date, Starlink has sent 1,740 satellites into orbit — by comparison, its British competitor OneWeb has launched lass than 300 satellites. Musk’s plans are more ambitious: it recently filed an application with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch nearly 30,000 new-generation satellites — Starlink Gen2. These satellites will be heavier and larger than the previous ones, thus they will be able to provide a higher quality of communication.
The new Starlink satellites are going to be delivered into space, not on Falcon9 rockets, but on the Starship spacecraft, which is capable of lifting much more cargo. It is not yet known whether the Commission will approve the application: some representatives of the space community believe that the “dominance” of Starlink satellites threatens the safety of other spacecraft and the safety of the Earth in general.
Clients of the Global Technologies Private Portfolio fund purchased SpaceX shares in September 2019, have a current return of over 130%.