Starlink consists of a “constellation” of over 6,750 small satellites that orbit the Earth, with the ability to provide coverage to the entire globe. Because Starlink satellites are in a Low Earth Orbit which is around 550 km (~341 miles) above the Earth’s surface instead of a more traditional Geostationary orbit of around 35,000 km (~22,000 miles) like other satellite based providers, Starlink’s satellite-to-Earth latency (the delay when sending and receiving signals between the satellite and your dish) is significantly lower, at around 25 ms vs. 600+ ms. This means their response time when data is being exchanged is between 24 – 70 times faster than a traditional Geostationary satellite service. When you’re streaming or gaming, a lower latency is a BIG deal.
From Here to There, and Back Again
When you use the internet with Starlink, your device sends a request to your Starlink dish (user terminal). These dishes use a phased-array antenna which automatically tracks and connects to multiple Starlink satellites as they pass overhead. Your dish sends your data request to the nearest Starlink satellite. The satellites use lasers to pass the data between each other, along the mesh, until the data reaches a satellite that is currently over a ground station. The satellite that is over a ground station then sends the data down to the ground gateway, which connects to the internet via a traditional high-speed fiber-optic internet backbone. The data then returns along the same pathway in reverse. Since Starlink’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites are much closer (around 340 miles vs. 22,000 miles for a Geostationary orbit satellite), it dramatically reduces the signal travel time (latency) and enables faster speeds for activities like streaming, gaming, and video calls.
Freaking Space Lasers
Each Starlink satellite has 3 optical Inter-Satellite Links (ISLs) operating at ~200 Gbps across the constellation to create a global internet mesh connecting customers anywhere on Earth. Starlink’s lasers are designed to achieve link speeds of 25 Gbps at distances up to 4,000 km (~2500 miles) and are capable of higher link speeds at shorter distances. These satellites use a dual-panel solar array to charge their batteries to provide power to the satellite. Each Starlink satellite uses a navigation sensor that uses the position of the stars to determine each satellite’s location. Each satellite also has an Ion Propulsion system that uses Argon thrusters to maneuver as needed to maintain the satellite’s position, provide object avoidance maneuvers, and to finally deorbit the satellite (cause it to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up) once that satellite has reached the end of its useful life.
Made in the USA
Starlink’s hardware is proudly made in the USA! Their satellite development and gateway antennas are produced and operated by SpaceX located in Redmond, Washington. The Starlink dishes, routers, and mounts are made in a large factory in Bastrop, Texas. Although some components have international sourcing, the core assembly and manufacturing of Starlink devices happens in their American facilities.
If you would like to sign up for Starlink high-speed internet service, click our Starlink referral link here, and both of us will get 1 free month of service when you subscribe.