Elon Musk's Starlink internet service hits 1 mn active paid subscribers

Elon Musk-run affordable satellite internet service Starlink has reached 1 million active paid subscribers, which now includes private jets, cruises, boats and more.

In October, SpaceX had announced that its satellite internet service would soon be available on select airplanes with the official launch of Starlink Aviation next year.

"Starlink now has more than 1,000,000 active subscribers -- thank you to all customers and members of the Starlink team who contributed to this milestone," tweeted the company.

Earlier this month, Starlink took off on the first JSX jet, a private airline company.

Starlink is providing high-speed, low-latency internet to passengers during flights on the jet, with more JSX jets to join the service soon.

Musk has announced that Starlink will soon be available for recreational vehicles (RVs) in December.

SpaceX will also have a new government-focused satellite internet service called Starshield with a focus on "national security".

Of more than 3,131 working satellites in orbit, approximately 2,700 are at their operational altitudes and capable of serving customers on the Earth.

Another 390 satellites are in the process of climbing to their operational orbits. Once they're done, SpaceX's first Starlink constellation will be more than two-thirds complete.

The constellation is made up of five orbital 'shells' -- distinct groups of satellites that share a similar orbital inclination (the angle between the satellite's orbit and Earth's equator) and altitude.

Two of those shells, known as Group 1 and Group 4, contain 3,168 satellites or more than two-thirds of the constellation.

They are nearly identical and focus on Earth's mid-latitudes, where almost every person (and customer) on Earth resides.

--IANS

na/