After dozens of rocket launches, SpaceX now has enough satellites in Earth’s orbit to offer commercial services for its cellular Starlink system

SpaceX: Cellular Starlink Service Is Ready to Go

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2024-11-26 14:00:05

After dozens of rocket launches, SpaceX now has enough satellites in Earth’s orbit to offer commercial services for its cellular Starlink system.

The company today launched another batch of 12 "direct to cell" Starlink satellites into space, bringing the total to over 320, and effectively completing the first stage of the satellite network. 

Monday’s launch also signals that SpaceX has enough direct-to-cell satellites circling the globe to offer robust coverage without any gaps. Since January, it's been launching cellular Starlink satellites to use them as orbiting cell towers that can beam data to phones on the ground. 

"Starlink's new system enables internet connectivity for your mobile phone with no extra equipment or special app,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted on Sunday. "It just works."

The company already activated the satellites last month to offer free emergency SMS texting for hurricane victims in the US. Although the technology only supported texting on a "best-effort" basis, it still connected to 27,000+ phones in hurricane-ravaged areas, resulting in over 250,000 texts sent during the first days of service. 

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