10weird things about SpaceX's Starlink internet satellitesBy...

10weird things about SpaceX's Starlink internet satellites

By Brett Tingley

published 2 days ago

While Starlink satellites consistently make headlines, there areplenty of weird facts about Starlink that fly below the radar.

There are currentlyover 3,000 Starlink satellites in orbit, and SpaceX plans to launch many more. The satellites are primarily designed to provide broadband internet to remote or underserved locations, yet there are many other uses for the revolutionary constellation both planned and already in use.

While Starlinksatellites consistently make headlines for the sheer number of launches SpaceX performs each year, not to mention the impacts the satellites have had on astronomy and Russia's invasion ofUkraine, there are plenty of weird facts about Starlink that fly below the radar.

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1. THE NAME "STARLINK" COMES FROM THEBOOK "THE FAULT IN OUR STARS"

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Coverof the 2012 novel "The Fault in our Stars" by John Green. (Imagecredit: Barnes and Noble)

According to SpaceXfounder and CEO Elon Musk, thename "Starlink" comes from the 2012 novel "The Fault in OurStars" by John Green. Musk tweeted the explanation(opens in new tab) in 2018, writing that "Ifanyone is curious, the name was inspired by The Fault in Our Stars."

The novel follows16-year-old Hazel Lancaster, who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. At acancer support group, Hazel meets another teenager with cancer, Augustus, andthe two fall in love. The novel drives home the fact that while emotional painis a constant of the human existence, we at least have the choice of who weshare that pain with.

Readmore: SpaceX Starlinksatellites to beam service straight to smartphones

2. STARLINK RUNS ON THE OPEN-SOURCE LINUXOPERATING SYSTEM

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Starlinksatellites prepare for deployment. (Image credit: SpaceX)

According to aSpaceX resources page(opens in new tab), Starlink satellites run on theopen-source operating system Linux.

Linux(opens in new tab) was created in 1991 by LinusTorvalds, a Finnish software engineer, in order to be a free, openly-sharedoperating system that could be tailored for users' specific computer hardware.

By its very design,Linux is easy to customize, making it ideal for specific use cases likeStarlink satellites. In addition, Linux-based operating systems can draw upon aworldwide repository of open-source programs and tools, enabling rapidprototyping of new hardware and software.

Readmore: SpaceX raises launch andStarlink prices, citing inflation

3. STARLINK 2.0 IS EVEN BIGGER - A LOT BIGGER

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Starlinksatellite in orbit. (Image credit: Shutterstock)

SpaceX recentlyreceived approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to deploy 7,500 Starlink 2.0satellites. These second-generation Starlink satellites are reportedto be larger and more capable than their predecessors.

First-generationStarlink satellites weigh 573 lbs (259 kg), while Starlink 2.0 weigh in at2,755 lb (1250 kg), Musk told Everyday Astronaut'sTim Dodd(opens in new tab).

To loft these largerStarlinks to orbit, SpaceX will eventually begin using Starship, its huge newMars and moon rocket. Starship is still under development, but SpaceX is planning an orbital testsoon.

Readmore: SpaceX aims to startlaunching next-gen Starlink satellites this month: report

4. STARLINK SATELLITES USE LASERS TOCOMMUNICATE

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Anillustration of a satellite constellation in orbit. (Image credit:Shutterstock)

SpaceX chiefoperating officer Gwynne Shotwell stated at the 36th annual Space Symposium in2021 that all Starlink satellites from that point on would be equipped with lasercrosslinks that enable them to communicate with one another.

This allows Starlinksatellites within a constellations to share data among themselves, reducing thereliance on ground stations. These laser links allow internet traffic to beshared from satellite to satellite around the world, avoiding the need to relaythe signals to a ground-based internet network.

The laser crosslinksallow Starlink constellations to beam internet connectivity to the most remotelocations, including polar regions.

Readmore: SpaceX paused Starlinklaunches to give its internet satellites lasers

5. THE STARLINK MARS INDEPENDENCE STATEMENT

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Anillustration of a SpaceX Dragon capsule landing on Mars. (Image credit:SpaceX)

The Starlink terms of service(opens in new tab) containa section stating that in the event that SpaceX will reach Mars and establishservice there, the company will have full independence from any government onEarth.

"For Services provided on Mars, or in transit to Mars via Starship orother spacecraft, the parties recognize Mars as a free planet and that noEarth-based government has authority or sovereignty over Martianactivities," the Starlink terms of service read. "Accordingly,Disputes will be settled through self-governing principles, established in goodfaith, at the time of Martian settlement."

SpaceX has plans to place humans on the Red Planet by the end of the decade,according to comments made by company leadership.

Readmore: Humanity will go to Mars'in this decade,' SpaceX president predicts

6. STARLINK IS AVAILABLE IN ANTARCTICA

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Starlink internetservice is available in some of the most remote parts of the globe, including Antarctica.

Scientists with theUnited States Antarctic Program (USAP) have tested at the McMurdo Stationresearch outpost. "NSF-supported USAP scientists in #Antarctica are overthe moon! Starlink is testing polar service with a newly deployed user terminalat McMurdo Station, increasing bandwidth and connectivity for science support,"the U.S. National Science Foundation stated via Twitter(opens in new tab) in September 2021.

SpaceX began loftingsatellites into polar orbit in September 2021 with its first West Coast launch atVandenberg Space Force Base in California. "These polar launcheswill enable complete coverage of Earth (where approved by localgovernment)," Musk tweeted in July 2022(opens in new tab).

Readmore: SpaceX's Starlinkinternet service reaches Antarctica

7. STARLINK IS RESPONSIBLE FOR UFO SIGHTINGS

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Atrain of SpaceX's Starlink satellites seen in the sky above Istanbul. (Imagecredit: MARIANA SUAREZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Trains of Starlinksatellites can look pretty odd in the sky. Despite the fact that SpaceX hastaken steps to make Starlink appear dimmer in thenight sky, the satellites can be quite bright after they arereleased as they make their way into their orbits.

On numerousoccasions, these Starlink trains have been mistaken for UFOs(opens in new tab) andhave generated headlines(opens in new tab) aslocal news stations receive floods of calls fromstartled skywatchers.

Aside from beingmistaken for UFOs, these sightings present another worrisome issue: Ruining thedark sky conditions necessary for astronomy. The International AstronomicalUnion has even implored the United Nations to take steps to protect thenight sky from Starlink constellations.

8. THE U.S. AIR FORCE HAS USED STARLINK IN LIVE-FIREEXERCISES

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Arendering of a Starlink satellite in orbit. (Image credit: Shutterstock)

While Starlink ismost often discussed in terms of the broadband internet it beams to remotelocations, the satellite constellation has another use: Providing connectivityto military assets.

Starlink hasbeen used extensively byUkrainian forces during Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine,but the United States military has also eyed its own uses for Starlink. In2020, the U.S. Air Force and SpaceX teamed up for a live-fire exercise(opens in new tab) inwhich Starlink satellites shared data with U.S. military assets that shot downa drone and a cruise missile.

SpaceX has sincecreated a Starlink partner project called Starshield thatwill cater exclusively to the United States military and associated agencies.Starshield will offer a higher level of security than Starlink, featuring"additional high-assurance cryptographic capability to host classifiedpayloads and process data securely, meeting the most demanding governmentrequirements," according to SpaceX's Starshield page(opens in new tab).

Readmore: SpaceX reveals'Starshield' satellite project for national security use

9. STARLINK SIGNALS CAN BE 'REVERSE ENGINEERED'FOR USE AS A LOCATION SERVICE

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Starlinksatellites in orbit. (Image credit: Shutterstock)

SpaceX has receivedrequests in recent years to use Starlink constellations as a position,navigation, and timing service similar to GPS, but SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has sofar rejected them.

However, a team ofresearchers at the University of Texas at Austin found a way to do just that inOctober 2022 by reverse-engineering Starlink signals(opens in new tab). Theyfound that the repeating beacon signals from Starlink constellations, designedto help receivers on the ground connect with satellites, could be used to forma navigation system.

"It's aframework that is so general we can apply it to any terrestrial orextraterrestrial signal," UT Austin's Todd Humphreys told the MIT Technology Review(opens in new tab)."It will learn on the fly, tell you what is being transmitted, and tellyou where you are."

Readmore: Elon Musk says Russia isramping up cyberattacks on SpaceX's Starlink systems in Ukraine

10. CHINA HAS SIMULATED USING NUCLEAR BLASTS TOTAKE OUT STARLINK

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Framefrom a 35mm film of the Starfish Prime nuclear test, during which a 1.4 megatonnuclear warhead was detonated at an altitude of 250 miles (400 km). (Imagecredit: Public domain/DoD)

Given that Starlinksatellites are being increasingly used as military assets,many of the United States' peer rivals have their concerns about theconstellations.

In fact, one team ofChinese researchers at the Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, aresearch institute run by the People's Liberation Army, recently published apaper discussing ways to destroy or disable Starlink. Their solution?Detonating a nuclear weapon in space.

According tothe South China Morning Post(opens in new tab) (SCMP),the researchers suggested that a 10-megaton nuclear explosion would be powerfulenough to d "The strong residual radiation of the debris cloud may causefailures of spacecraft moving in it, such as satellites, or even cause directdamage that can lead to destruction," the researchers wrote in apublication in the Chinese journal Nuclear Techniques, reported SCMP.