Starlink Installation Schedule?

[Biker19]

On 9/28/2022 at 11:21 PM, twangster said:

...and more  - no Starlink coverage today.

This seems to suggest quite soon:

 

 

SpaceX’s broadband service Starlink is quickly being implemented by various cruise lines worldwide. Hurtigruten Expeditions announced they will also implement the service on its ships and offer it to guests and crew free of charge. 

 

The expedition cruise line operates ships worldwide, from the Artic to the Antarctic, areas that have previously suffered from very low internet speeds and poor connection.

 

The entire fleet of vessels will have Starlink installed this month, which means guests will already be able to start using the service when the expedition ships head to the Antarctic this winter. 

 

High-Speed Internet In Far-Away Places

Something that many cruise lines are currently unable to offer will soon be available in places as far away as Antarctica. Hurtigruten Expeditions, the largest expedition cruise operator worldwide, will implement Starlink’s high-speed internet onboard all its ships. 

 

Installation of the satellite receivers will be completed this month, which means the cruise line can offer high-speed internet to guests sailing around the Antarctic Peninsula later this year.

 

“As the world leader in exploration travel, it’s only fitting that we bring the world’s most innovative technologies onboard our ships to further enhance the experience and day-to-day lives of our guests, crew, partners, and the communities we visit,” said Hurtigruten Expeditions CEO Asta Lassesen.

 

The implementation of Starlink’s Maritime internet will be done with Hurtigruten’s current connectivity partner, Speedcast.

Testing of the system has been ongoing since March of this year. With the installation finalized this month, Hurtigruten is ahead of cruise lines from the Royal Caribbean Group and Seadream, who have announced similar plans. 

“We’ve seen major players announcing plans for implementation of Starlink connectivity. Our partnership with Speedcast and fleetwide introduction of the new service not only puts us ahead of the rest of the cruise industry, it also puts us ahead of the technology. When Starlink introduces maritime coverage in Antarctica and the Arctic, we will be ready,” said Lassesen.

 

Antarctic Maritime Coverage in Q4 2022

 

Connectivity in the Antarctic is still under development but is expected to have full coverage before the end of the year.

Introducing the technology to the areas where Hurtigruten sails provide an excellent platform for both Starlink and Hurtigruten/ Speedcast to show off what the systems are capable of. 

 

With the older systems in place onboard most cruise and expedition ships, connectivity is usually sub-par, even around well-established cruise routes around the Caribbean and Mediterranean. Connectivity is even more troublesome in faraway places such as Antarctica and the Artic.

   

“With vessels operating in some of the most remote and spectacular areas of the world, Hurtigruten Expeditions is an ideal partner for introducing groundbreaking technology in the cruise industry. Speedcast’s expertise lies in our ability to combine all available connectivity paths and manage a complete service that offers the highest levels of uptime, availability, and performance”, said Joe Spytek, Chief Executive Officer at Speedcast.

 

The high-speed internet onboard the Hurtigruten ships will be free of charge for both guests and crew members onboard, as well as scientists that will be working onboard the Hurtigruten ships. Free internet for crew members is a step that Hurtigruten challenges other cruise lines to take as well:

 

“Introduction of new technology makes it easier for everyone on board to remain connected with friends, family, and loved ones no matter where they are. We challenge all cruise lines that follows our example by installing Starlink to also follow our example to make internet free for all crew members”, said Lassesen.

 

Cruise Line Completes Fleetwide Starlink Installation (cruisehive.com)

[A&L_Ont]

On 9/29/2022 at 9:21 AM, twangster said:

Starlink is eagerly waiting for the Starship rocket to enter service.  The Falcon 9 rocket has been great launching Starlink satellites in the low 50's count at a time but Starship is required to really get Starlink constellations built out. 

 

Starship has roughly four time the payload capacity of Falcon 9.  Think ~200 Starlink v1 satellites at a time.  Starship can also insert satellites into a higher altitude closer to Starlink's desired final orbits.  It can take up to 9 months for a Starlink satellite launched on a Falcon 9 rocket to reach its final orbit and enter service.  Starship launched satellites will enter service much quicker, like a month or so. 

 

Lastly the newest proposed Starlink v2 satellites won't fit on Falcon 9.  The nextgen Starlink satellites  require Starship.  The v2 Starlink satellites are required for many of the advanced Starlink capabilities that Starlink is promising such as the cellular tower in the sky disaster connectivity and some satellite to satellite features to make Starlink internet what has been promised such as the 20ms latency all the time.  

 

Great things are coming but a lot of it depends on Starship rockets.

As I read this, all I could think of Elon as Dr Evil from Austin Powers. 

Edited October 13, 2022 by A&L_Ont