SpaceX Invites People From Over The World To Test Its Satellite Internet, Here Is How To Sign Up

SpaceX has been launching a large number of satellites to build its mega-constellation system, called Starlink, which aims to provide satellite Internet to basically anywhere on the planet. So far, over 500 satellites have been lunched.

And now, when the system is ready to provide Internet service, Elon Musk-owned company is inviting people to give it a shot by being a beta-tester.

Those who want to participate will have to provide their zip code and email address. Once you are done signing up, you will receive an email that says Starlink was made to provide high-speed Internet to areas where this essential service was unavailable, unreliable, or too expensive.

It also says the private beta test would begin later this summer followed by a public beta starting with higher latitudes.

The Internet is changing our lives in many ways. So much so that access to it is now considered a basic human rights. However, for now, only half of people on Earth have connection to the Internet, with the other half living in remote or poorer areas.

To fill this gap, SpaceX and some other companies, like OneWeb, are trying to build satellite internet constellations with an aim to create a system of thousands of satellites. If they realize this ambition, basically everyone on Earth will have access to the Internet, no matter where they are.

However, Starlink is not deployed to compete with traditional Internet, especially in big cities where its service is not so attractive. According to Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, the company’s ultimate goal is to provide decent Internet, around one gigabit each second, at 30 millisecond latencies, to regions without broadband Internet.

Musk also said one of the highlights of such a system was there was no need for a specialist to install it. The process is as easy as pointing the device to the sky and plugging in.

So far, SpaceX has not yet announced how many beta testers it was going to select. All we know now is Musk said Starlink was expected to begin in autumn 2020.

There is no denying the benefits of Starlink and systems like it can bring to people living in remote areas, there have been critics over the brightness of the satellites. When SpaceX launched its last batch last year, many stargazers and astronomy organizations showed concerns over the level of light pollution caused by these satellites.

According to a statement of the International Astronomical Union, an organization with more than 13,000 members, a dark sky is essential for humanity to gasp the principles of the Universe our planet is part of. It is also a resource for nocturnal wildlife and humanity.

They also warned humans had not yet understood fully the impacts of these satellites and they might be dangerous for both humans and wildlife.

SpaceX knows about these concerns and to address the problems of brightness, it has added to the latest batch of satellites glare-reducing sunshades. And with a large number of them in orbit, it is essential to make sure that they don’t impact the operation of spacecraft in space and pollute the night sky.

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