SpaceX has just successfully launched its new Starlink satellites that allow direct mobile phone communication, using one of them to send messages for the first time .
See also: Elon Musk's Starlink may soon offer satellite internet to India
The milestone was achieved on January 8, just six days after the six Starlink satellites were launched by a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, the company announced in a briefing on Wednesday (January 10).
Among the groundbreaking messages are the classic “New phone who are you?” as well as “I’ve never had a signal like this” and “Very impressive,” according to a SpaceX post on Wednesday.
Starlink is SpaceX's satellite network in low Earth orbit, providing internet to people around the world.
The mega-structure currently consists of more than 5,250 operational satellites, but the six launched on January 2 were the first with direct-to -mobile.
See also: SpaceX Starlink: Has put over 4000 satellites into orbit
Providing satellite connectivity services directly to smartphones – as SpaceX is doing through a partnership with T-Mobile – is a difficult proposition, as SpaceX pointed out in its update on Wednesday.
Starlink satellites that connect directly to mobile phones overcome these challenges thanks to “innovative custom core, phased arrays and advanced software algorithms,” SpaceX added.
Overcoming challenges can lead to big rewards, and that's the case here, according to SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell.
“ Direct-to-mobile satellite connectivity will have a huge impact across the world, helping people communicate wherever and whenever they want or need to ,” Shotwell said via X on Wednesday
See also: Starlink: Its satellites have started falling from space
The Starlink launch on January 2 was SpaceX's first of the year. But there's more to come: The company has said it aims to launch 144 missions into orbit by 2024, surpassing last year's record of 98.
Source: space.com
