WHAT IS STARLINK AND HOW

DOES IT WORK?
PREPARED BY MAKSYM ANDREYENKOV, A STUDENT
OF THE RT-22M GROUP
 WHAT IS
STARLINK ?
• Starlink is currently the most popular satellite
system deployed worldwide by SpaceX. The main
task of Starlink is to provide high-speed
broadband access to the Internet even in those
places where it was not available at all, or its
quality is very poor or simply unreliable.

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 WHEN IT
STARTED ?
• The Starlink satellite system dates
back to 2015. The first tests of the
system itself began in 2018. Namely,
on February 22, the first test
prototypes named TINTIN were
successfully launched into space.
And in May 2019 alone, the In 2020, the SpaceX company
began to provide access to the
company launched 60 prototype
worldwide Internet using a satellite
satellites. system on a commercial basis. And
already in January 2022, 145,000
users in 25 different countries of the
world tested the Starlink system.

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 HOW DOES IT
WORK?
• Starlink uses a constellation of low-
orbiting (LEO) satellites, which, as
the name suggests, orbit much
closer to Earth than traditional
GEO satellites. Starlink orbits at
an altitude of about 550 (328-614)
km, resulting in lower latency
compared to GEO satellites
orbiting at an altitude of about
35,786 km.
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 HOW DOES IT
WORK?
• Ground stations transmit signals to satellites in orbit, which in turn
transmit data to Starlink users on Earth. Each satellite in the Starlink
constellation weighs 260 kg (v.1.5). One SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket can
accommodate up to 60 satellites. The mass of Starlink V2 Mini is 810 kg,
and the diameter (after opening the solar cells) is 30 meters.

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 HOW DOES IT
WORK?
• The Starlink satellite is a flat panel
(up to 6 meters) with four phased
array antennas (operating in the Ku
and Ka bands at 11-30 GHz) and a Starlink uses the US Department of
solar array, a star-orientation sensor, Defense's tracking system to keep
and krypton-powered engines for with satellites from crashing into space
the help of which the satellite can debris and from approaching other
maneuver and choose another orbit. stations. Starlinks do not hover above
the planet, but race around it at a
tremendous speed - approximately
27,000 km/h. 6
 HOW DOES IT
WORK?
The satellite has 2100 MHz in the direction from the
gateway station to the satellite and 1300 MHz in the
reverse direction. The v1.5 model is additionally
equipped with data exchange lasers between satellites.

This allows satellites to communicate with each other

— exchange data without having to go back to ground
stations.

The Starlink satellite is a repeater and does not process

information: only the frequency of the received signal
changes and its amplification takes place on board. 7
 HOW DOES IT
WORK?
Future Starlink satellites will likely weigh about
one ton each, have a maximum individual
bandwidth of about 60-80 Gbps, and have solar
panels capable of supplying about 15-20
kilowatts to power an army of antennas.
The basic package is for home use and costs
$110 per month plus a one-time hardware fee of
$599.

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 HOW DOES IT
WORK?
• Using the app and pointing the dish at a clear sky, you can trigger the
Starlink device to seek a connection with one of the LEO satellites that can be
located around the world.

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 HOW DOES IT
WORK?

Today, the number of satellites is 4,500, according to

independent research database BroadbandNow.
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 HOW DOES IT
WORK?
The location of the satellites, their height and inclination can
be tracked in real time.

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 HOW DOES IT
WORK?

The estimated period of operation in orbit is from 5 to 8 years, after the end of
the service life the satellite will be removed from orbit and burn up in the
atmosphere. As of the beginning of 2023, 345 of the 4,500 previously launched
satellites are in the process of being removed from orbit or have already been 12
 HOW DOES IT
WORK?
According to a recent Speedtest
conducted by Ookla, Starlink
recorded the highest median
download speed in the first
quarter of 2022 at 160 Mbps in
Lithuania. Starlink also posted
speeds of 91 Mbps in the US, 97
Mbps in Canada and 124 Mbps
in Australia.
Traditional satellites typically
have a maximum speed of about
100 megabits per second, with
an average of 31 megabits per
second. 13
 HOW DOES IT
WORK?
• The Starlink network is expected to include 42,000 satellites in the coming
years, which experts fear will crowd our orbit, endangering other satellites
and hampering astronomers' ability to observe from Earth.
• In addition, some scientists fear that the amount of metal that will burn up in
Earth's atmosphere as old satellites fall from orbit could cause unpredictable
changes in the planet's climate… but we will have the Internet.

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THANK YOU FOR
ATTENTION!