As SpaceX pushes to take over the night sky with 30,000 Starlink satellites, CEO Elon Musk tested the orbiting routers' internet connectivity early Tuesday with a message to his nearly 29 million Twitter followers.
Sending this tweet through space via Starlink satellite 🛰
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 22, 2019
"Sending this tweet through space via Starlink satellite," he wrote, before following up to express his surprise. "Whoa, it worked!!"
Musk's internet aspirations took flight back in May, when SpaceX launched its initial batch of 60 Starlink satellites to start testing its broadband service. The company aims to bring satellite broadband to customers around the globe, and Tuesday's tweet suggests that it's on track. Musk used a Starlink terminal at his house to send the tweet, SpaceNews reported.
SpaceX hopes to offer Starlink broadband services in the US and Canada by mid-2020, company president Gwynne Shotwell told reporters Tuesday. That'll require six to eight Starlink launches, with 24 needed for global coverage.
The Air Force is using the satellite network to test encrypted internet services for military planes, according to Reuters. The program, called Global Lightning, has been going since early 2018.
The FCC approved 12,000 Starlink satellites, and filed paperwork with the International Telecommunication Union for a further 30,000 last week.
First published Oct. 22 at 5:26 a.m. PT.
Updated at Oct. 23 at 3:35 a.m. PT: Notes plans for US and Canada broadband service and Air Force program.
