SpaceX has made a lot of headlines this year, but one of their notable advances is Starlink, their satellite internet service that can provide high-speed internet to remote people.
The company now has only 1,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit that are helping to provide connections to all locations in Canada and the northern US. These satellites work by connecting to “earth stations” that can receive satellite signals and channel broadband internet to homes or businesses via fiber optic cable.
As SpaceX works to expand its capacity for more and more customers and geography, it is imperative that they build more ground stations to collect Starlink signals. But what do these earth stations look like? Reddit user ‘Andrew 867’ snapped pictures in Newfoundland and Canada’s Labrador One to share with people around the world.
Ground stations are the critical building block for the Starlink network, connecting the satellite system to the rear of the ground-based Internet.
Reddit user Andrew 867 noted in his post that “Eastlink has direct access to the only viable dark fiber / wavelength service coming to the province from Nova Scotia. The Zyo, Rogers and NL governments all have access to Ser, but Eastlink has it in Nova Scotia, so it is understandable. Will establish more uplinks in the province to increase coverage from the fiber route. “
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All of this is an interesting insight into how SpaceX is going through the construction of their Starlink system, benefiting existing providers to make their services more available.
At the bottom of one of the domes reads a placard:
“Property of SpaceX. Prototype – Not for sale or lease This unit is intended for display use only. This prototype unit cannot comply with EU directives. That’s it Technical evaluation only. This device has not been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission. This is not a device, and will not be sold or leased for sale or lease or for theorization. Therefore, ownership must remain with SpaceX. “
In the image below, you can see the SpaceX ID (SPXID) attached to the bottom of the dome.
SpaceX will continue to build ground stations, as it receives more approval from regulatory bodies to do so in the United States and Canada.
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