Suggested Read: Falcon 9- Elon Musk’s Rocket to Hit the Moon
Landing of Falcon 9 booster
The Falcon 9 first stage landed after somersaulting on the drone ship ‘Just Read the Instructions’ stationed in the Atlantic Ocean around nine minutes after launch. The booster will be collected for refurbishment for reuse on another flight next time once returned within a few days to Port Canaveral. A dozen more Starlink satellites deployed around 15 minutes after launch from the upper stage of Falcon 9. The internet-beaming satellites will be spacing out as well as raising their orbits the next few days before joining the 3200-plus satellites already in service.
Internet service directed from space
Starlink satellite internet service starts at $ 110/month with a $ 599 one-time equipment fee. It boasts connectivity to rural and remote places around the globe. The company tweeted last Wednesday that due to Starlink’s space laser network, the service is available on all the seven continents of the world including Antarctica. The National Science Foundation deployed Starlink user terminals recently at the McMurdo Station research facility in Antarctica. SpaceX announced earlier this year that the global internet service would support connectivity for boats, planes, and RVs. Watch this YouTube video:
Use of Starlink’s internet service by Royal Caribbean Group
Last month Royal Caribbean Group announced that Starlink user terminals shall be installed “on all Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises ships, along with all new vessels.” Thus, it is the first international cruise line to take on low-latency, high-speed internet connectivity service for its guests and crew members. The service is scheduled to be accessible in 2023.
