Starlink

Why in news?

• Elon Musk's satellite network Starlink is on track to beam broadband internet everywhere in the world except polar regions by August.

About Starlink:

• Starlink is a satellite internet constellation being constructed by SpaceX providing satellite Internet access.
• The constellation will consist of thousands of mass-produced small satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), which communicate with designated ground transceivers.
•  The cost of the decade-long project to design, build, and deploy the constellation was estimated by SpaceX in May 2018 to be at least US$10 billion.
• SpaceX launches up to 60 satellites at a time, aiming to deploy 1,584 of the 260 kg spacecrafts to provide near-global service by late 2021 or 2022.
• Astronomers have raised concerns about the constellations’ effect on ground-based astronomy and how the satellites will add to an already jammed orbital environment.
• SpaceX has implemented several upgrades to Starlink satellites aimed at reducing their brightness during operation.
• The satellites are equipped with krypton-fueled Hall thrusters which allow them to de-orbit at the end of their life.
• Additionally, the satellites are designed to autonomously avoid collisions based on uplinked tracking data.

Prelims Question:

Consider the following statements regarding  Starlink, satellite-based internet service:
1.It is being constructed by SpaceX.
2.It uses geostationary satellites for communication.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)Both 1 and 2
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to prelims question