(Credit: Starlink.com)
Two SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets launched early Monday morning, sending 46 Starlink satellites into space and adding to the thousands already circling Earth.
SpaceX confirmed the launch around 1:45 a.m. ET Monday. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk also posted about the launch, writing that the new satellites would add 4 Terabits per second of data capacity to its network. The two launches took place in California and Florida, respectively.
Nearly 6,000 Starlink satellites are now in Earth's orbit, according to astronomer Jonathan McDowell, who tracks Starlink launches and documents the satellites on his website.
Last month, SpaceX said it would remove 100 Starlink satellites from orbit due to a possible design flaw. Last week, Starlink reported that it's reduced network latency by over 30% for US users. SpaceX also wrote a letter to the FCC, dubbing Starlink a "massive success" and noting that it's been able to get its cellular system to work on iPhones, Google Pixel, and Samsung Galaxy devices.
Starlink offers four different service plans at time of writing. Its standard plan promises download speeds of 25-100Mbps and 5-10Mbps upload speeds, while its priority plan offers 40-220Mbps download speeds and 8-25Mbps upload speeds, according to the provider's website.
Starlink's services are available in many countries globally, such as the US, Canada, Australia, nearly all of Europe, Japan, Mongolia, Nigeria, Kenya, and New Zealand, to name a few. According to Starlink's website, a number of African countries like Tunisia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Senegal, and Uganda will gain access to its services this year.