The Californian company had already set up 6 test satellites in January. After conclusive results, groups of satellites will now be deployed with “classic” Starlinks. The service should be operational, if all goes well, by the end of summer for direct messaging.
No time to hang around for SpaceX, which is seeking to set up its direct communication service between smartphones and satellites in 2024. An offer that does not require a specific antenna on the ground, but a specific version of the Starlink satellites, which the company sends in “clusters” of 22 to 24 units one, two, or even three times a week depending on the availability of its rockets. . The first 6 Starlinks equipped to test DTC (Direct to Cell, of course) were sent into orbit on January 3, during the very first takeoff of 2024, and they have since been used to demonstrate the capabilities of the system, with messages then connections from unmodified smartphones on the ground, as well as the sending of a tweet from Elon Musk at the end of February. Results that SpaceX (and its partner for the United States, T-Mobile) must have found quite satisfactory, since the company will now regularly send Starlink dedicated to DTC. Six units took off from California this Sunday April 7.
Satellites as if it were raining
The deployment of an initial service which will only cover messaging, and in a limited number of countries (because of agreements on the frequencies used), should in fact start in 2024… However, for minimum coverage, it SpaceX will need several hundred units equipped specifically for “Direct to Cell”, knowing that the latter orbit at a lower altitude than traditional Starlink connectivity satellites, around 360 km compared to 550. During its last permit application to the American communications authority, the FCC, SpaceX mentioned 7,500 Starlink satellites dedicated to direct communication to and from smartphones: the service is supposed to evolve next year to include calls, then data. SpaceX already operates the largest fleet of satellites in the world.
Conclusive tests, SpaceX moves on
Direct connectivity offers with smartphones are currently considered promising, with several competing projects and tests between satellites and mobile phones which are generating a lot of talk: Apple’s satellite emergency messaging since the Iphone 14 has already proven to be very useful. However, there is not yet an operational offer on the scale of that which SpaceX is currently putting in place. Many observers will therefore follow this service deployment carefully.
Source : Spaceflight Now
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