SpaceX put in orbit test satellites for the Internet
Finally, good weather allowed SpaceX to launch a Falcon 9 rocket with two satellites to test the Starlink - Microsat 2a and Microsat 2b Internet distribution system. Ilon Mask prefers to call them Tintin A and B in honor of the famous character of the Belgian comics - the cheerful reporter Tintin, who, by the way, visited the Moon. The launch itself was successful, and in addition to its vehicles, the company delivered into orbit the Spanish satellite radar surveillance PAZ.
Global Internet
First two Starlink demo satellites, called Tintin A & B, deployed and communicating to Earth stations pic.twitter.com/TfI53wHEtz
- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 22, 2018
SpaceX is going to create a network of 12,000 satellites in low Earth orbit. Almost 4.5 thousand devices will lead to a height of 1.1-1.3 thousand kilometers (Microsat 2a and Microsat 2b are just part of this group), and another 7.5 thousand will hover 350 kilometers over the Earth. As expected, by 2027 the communication system will cover the entire planet. Delay of signal transmission will be 25-30 milliseconds, whereas for most providers this indicator usually exceeds 600 ms.
In 2015, Ilon Mask said that to use the satellite Internet will need a special receiver for 100-300 dollars. By its size, this box will be comparable to a laptop. How many will have to pay for access to the network in a month - is unknown.
The fairing is not caught
This time, SpaceX sent a ship to the ocean with a huge network, which was supposed to catch the head fairing Falcon 9. Alas, he fell a couple of hundred meters from the "catcher." But the company managed to find a drifting half that did not get visible damage:
