What is a satellite?
A satellite is any natural or man-made body that moves in a circle around another large body. The most common example of a natural satellite is the Moon, which is the Earth’s satellite. On the other hand, man-made satellites include spacecraft, space stations, weather satellites, etc.
These satellites make it possible for us to talk on our phones, view TV channels (you probably have a Tata Sky or Airtel dish connected to a box), etc. Recently, SpaceX has launched satellites that allow people on Earth to connect to the internet.
What is SpaceX and what does it do?
SpaceX is an American company founded in 2002 by billionaire scientist Elon Musk. It specialises in designing, building, and launching spacecraft as well as communication satellites. Recently, SpaceX launched 46 Starlink satellites from an Air Force Base in California.
What does the launch of the Starlink satellites mean for the world?
SpaceX’s Starlink satellites have been launched to provide internet access to people all over the world (including land and sea). Nearly 3000 such satellites have been launched till now.
Currently, over 36 countries have access to Starlink’s internet services. But to service the entire globe, SpaceX will have to launch more than 10,000 satellites.
Scientists have warned against having a large number of satellites in the Earth’s orbit. They believe that it can cause collisions with other objects in space.
How is satellite internet different from regular internet?
Until now, internet services are made available to us because of a huge network of cables that run under oceans across the world. Satellite internet is a recent innovation that can bring internet access to far-off places that are difficult to reach through cable. There are, however, a few disadvantages to this technology. It works at a slower speed and is more expensive. It may also stop working when the weather is bad. SpaceX says that it's working to fix these problems. Hopefully, SpaceX will find ways to minimise its harmful impact on the environment while bringing high-speed internet our way
