Quote:
Originally Posted by TWP723
You're right, they aren't. About half is up. Approximately 60 satellites go up each launch. SpaceX wants about another 2000 to complete the system. So about another 30+ launches are in order. $70M per launch.
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4,400 is the number of satellites planned for generation 1... the ultimate goal is about 42,000 satellites, so they are not even at 10% capacity yet (2500 launched as of last month).
https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/05/1...0%20satellites.
I know of a number of people using the service; mixed results so far. Those in the northern US and Canada overall report very good results (100mb+ dl, and latency <30-40ms). Those in the southern US that I know have had widely variable results and more outages.
Starlink is now set to begin launching their Gen2 satellites, which are far more capable; however they weigh about 5x as much which requires a much heavier launcher. Starlink has had some delays due to environmental concerns at launch sites from the use of the heavier launcher.
Given the number of satellites in orbit compared to the total planned amount, and the increased capabilities of the Gen2 satellites (and of course what will follow in gen3, etc) one can assume the service will continue to improve over time. Starlink is so far ahead of other competitors, including Amazon, who are trying to get into this space - pun intended
Brad