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SpaceX Internet Satellite Network: Starlink

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I find the part about a view of the northern sky a bit odd unless the beta is strictly for southern California or some specific neighborhood that has mountains to the south.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1283142384268779522

The satellites are on 53 degree orbits, so pointing at that region will give the best density and coverage (while the constellationis sparse). The US/ Canadian border is 49 degress, so most of US would need a northern view.
 
I find the part about a view of the northern sky a bit odd unless the beta is strictly for southern California or some specific neighborhood that has mountains to the south.

Don't see the specific reference to northern sky, but it makes a lot of sense for the vast majority of users. Anywhere in the northern hemisphere you will statistically have more satellites in view to the north than the south, until you get close to the ~53rd parallel. That's because the satellite planes get progressively closer, so the satellite density gets progressively higher.
 
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Don't see the specific reference to northern sky, but it makes a lot of sense for the vast majority of users. Anywhere in the northern hemisphere you will statistically have more satellites in view to the north than the south, until you get close to the ~53rd parallel. That's because the satellite planes get progressively closer, so the satellite density gets progressively higher.
Am gonna need a visual aid! Ha!
 
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Am gonna need a visual aid! Ha!
Sat psths concentrate at the far lattitudes
..
index(5).jpg
 
"Welcome to Starlink Beta

Thank you for participating in our Friends and Family Beta Testing program! This invitation can only be applied to the service address listed above. Please review our Frequently Asked Questions about our beta program before proceeding.

To participate as a beta tester, you will need a clear view of the northern sky from wherever you plan to install your Starlink dish (roof or ground). If you do not have a clear view of the northern sky, please email

[email protected]

These charges are not a fee for the Starlink hardware or services, but are being requested exclusively to allow for the testing of our ordering and billing systems as part of this beta program. SpaceX is temporarily loaning you the hardware and providing the internet services free of charge. The $1 will be charged 30 days after your hardware is shipped. This invitation is not transferable to any other address. By clicking the above link you are activating Starlink Services and authorize regularly scheduled charges to the payment method on file.
"

Install guide will be at https://www.starlink.com/assets/documents/Install Guide.pdf

mounting types https://preview.redd.it/dajubkl6ota...bp&s=04319e97636f580ab425de0d45c7bbc33038cb6f and https://preview.redd.it/kd8d3i8rota...bp&s=72f17e79bf402e2d56e2ced66b8bcd97a3e5d94e

zy2ypdy6pta51.png

Did you get this email? Meaning you’re accepted into the beta?
 
Did you get this email? Meaning you’re accepted into the beta?
no, it's from the website code.

here is some more pulled from the site

FAQ

q: What is Starlink Beta?

a:Starlink Beta is an opportunity to be an early user of the SpaceX's satellite internet system.The purpose of Starlink Beta is to gather feedback that will help us make decisions on how best to implement the system for Starlink's official launch. By design, the beta experience will be imperfect. Our goal is to incorporate feedback from a variety of users to ensure we build the best satellite broadband internet system possible.

q:Who can participate in Starlink Beta?

a:Starlink Beta will begin in the Northern United States and lower Canada, with those living in rural and/or remote communities in the Washington state area. Access to the Starlink Beta program will be driven by the user's location as well as the number of users in nearby areas. All beta testers must have a clear view of the northern sky to participate.

q:Why do I need a clear view of the northern sky to be a beta tester?

a:The Starlink system is currently made up of nearly 600 satellites orbiting the Earth that can provide internet service in a very specific range-between 44 and 52 degrees north latitude. Your Starlink dish requires a clear view of the Northern sky in order to communicate with the Starlink satellites. Without the clear view, the Starlink dish cannot make a good connection and your service will be extremely poor.

q:Can I document and share my Starlink Beta experience?

a:No, unfortunately you cannot document or share your Starlink Beta experience publicly. Beta testers will be required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement as a condition of their participation.

q:How will my service quality be during Starlink Beta?

a: during Starlink Beta, service will be intermittent as teams work to optimize the network. When connected, your service quality will be high, but your connection will not be consistent. This means it may support streaming video with some buffering, but likely is not suitable for gaming or work purposes.

q:What is expected of me as a participant in Starlink Beta?

a:Beta testers will provide feedback in the form of periodic short surveys over an 8 week period to help our teams improve every aspect of the service.

q:Is there a cost to participating Starlink Beta?

a:There is no cost to be a beta tester, aside from a $1 charge to help test the billing system.

q:What will I receive as a Beta Tester?

a:Your Starlink Kit will arrive via FedEx pre-assembled with a Starlink dish, router [see FCC approval], power supply and mount depending on your dwelling type. Your Starlink Kit will require a signature for delivery, but you will be able to manage your delivery date and time through FedEx.

q:How does Starlink internet work?

a:Starlink will deliver high-speed broadband internet across the globe with a large, low-Earth constellation of relatively small but advanced satellites. Satellite internet works by sending information through the vacuum of space, where it travels nearly 50% faster than in fiber-optic cable.

q:Most satellite internet services today come from single geostationary satellites that orbit the planet at about 35,000km, covering a fixed region of the Earth. Starlink, on the other hand, is a constellation of multiple satellites that orbit the planet much lower at about 550km, and cover the entire globe.

a:Because the satellites are in a low orbit, the round-trip data time between the user and the satellite - also known as latency - is much lower than with satellites in geostationary orbit. This enables Starlink to deliver services like online gaming that are usually not possible on other satellite broadband systems

q:If I sign up to be a Beta Tester and I change my mind, can I cancel?

a:Yes, you can cancel at any time.

_____________________

Beta Tester Customer Agreement / Terms of Service:

Thank you for volunteering to participate in SpaceX’s Starlink Beta Program (“Beta Program”). Below you will find important rules for your participation. SpaceX will provide you with a “Starlink Kit” (the Starlink dish, wifi router, power supply and mounts) and internet services. By accepting Starlink internet services and the Starlink Kit (“Starlink Services”), you agree to be bound by and comply with these terms and conditions under the Beta Program.

Confidentiality and No Social Media
You are being provided early access to the Starlink Services. The Starlink Services and details like internet speeds, uptime, coverage, and other performance specifications are confidential and proprietary to SpaceX. You may NOT discuss your participation in the Beta Program online or with those outside of your household, unless they are SpaceX employees.

You must not share anything on social media about the Starlink Services or the Beta Program. This applies not only to public forums, but also to private accounts and restricted groups. Do not provide access or information about Starlink Services to the media or allow third-parties to take pictures of any part of the Starlink Kit.

Your Responsibility as a Beta Tester
You agree to dedicate an average of 30 minutes to 1 hour per day testing the Starlink Services and providing feedback on a periodic basis. Feedback requests from SpaceX will come in the form of surveys, phone calls, emails, and other means. Not participating can result in termination of your Beta Program participation and you must return your Starlink Kit.

Nominal Fee to Test Online Ordering Process
As part of the Beta Program’s online ordering process, SpaceX will ask you to input your credit or debit card information and your card will be charged a small amount in order to test SpaceX’s ordering and billing systems. For example, at the initial sign-up you will be charged approximately $3.00 total and thereafter, a reoccurring charge of approximately $2.00 per month during the duration of the Beta Program.

This nominal charge is NOT a fee for the Starlink Kit or internet services, but is exclusively being requested to allow SpaceX to test its ordering and billing systems. SpaceX is temporarily loaning you the Starlink Kit and providing the internet services free of charge.

If you do not want to provide your credit or debit card information, please do not participate in the Beta Program.

Starlink Kit
The Starlink Kit has not been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission and may not be offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, until authorization is obtained. The Starlink Kit is being provided to you for the purposes of evaluating performance and determining customer acceptability during the Kit’s pre-production state.

Title to, and ownership of the equipment in the Starlink Kit remains with SpaceX. You may not loan, transfer, sell, give away, tamper with, or alter the Starlink Kit unless you obtain approval from SpaceX. Software copies installed on the Starlink Kit are made available for use as installed and never sold. SpaceX reserves all rights and interests to Starlink Services and its intellectual property provided to you.

If any equipment in the Starlink Kit is stolen, damaged, or compromised, please report it promptly to Customer Support by signing into your Starlink Account.

Installation
You are responsible for installing the Starlink Kit. Do not allow third-parties, or those not associated with SpaceX, to access or install the Starlink Kit unless you obtain approval form SpaceX. Do not install the Starlink Kit at your home if you do not have the authority to do so. It is your responsibility to ensure compliance with all applicable zoning, ordinances, covenants, conditions, restrictions, lease obligations and landlord/owner approvals related to the installation location. For example, if your apartment building or condo prohibits installs on its roof, or in common spaces, or only allows installs on private balconies, or does not allow penetrative installs (drilling holes through a roof or walls), you are responsible for understanding and following such rules. If you cannot install the Starlink Kit without breaking the rules, do not install it.

Use good judgment in installing the Starlink Services, and do not take unnecessary risks. If you cannot safely install the Starlink Kit, do not install it.

Except as arises from intentional misconduct or gross negligence, SpaceX shall not have any liability for any losses resulting from the Starlink Services, Starlink Kit or any installation, repair, or other associated services including, without limitation, damage to your property, or loss of software, data, or other information from your devices. Should use of the Starlink Services require any construction or alteration to your property, SpaceX is not obliged to restore your property to the same physical state as prior to delivery of Services. If you require a roof mount installation, you acknowledge the potential risks associated with this type of installation, including, without limitation, with respect to any warranty that applies to your roof or roof membrane.

Privacy
Please review SpaceX’s Privacy Policy to understand how we treat personal information we collect from you. In addition to the information listed in our Privacy Policy, we will be collecting information through our survey questions, and certain data for the purpose of measuring performance, including the following:

  • A record of time when the dish is active and transmitting
  • Amount of data the dish uses per moment of time
  • Equipment link performance and network health
  • Equipment unit telemetry
  • Dish GPS orientation and obstruction telemetry
Usage and Network Monitoring
Do not conduct any illegal activities using the Starlink Services. This includes, downloading or storing any material that infringes on the intellectual property or copyrights of third-parties, such as downloading movies or music without paying for it. SpaceX may suspend or terminate your participation in the Beta Program if we believe you are participating in illegal behavior using Starlink Services. SpaceX may also suspend or terminate your participation in order to protect the network from security threats or to minimize congestion caused by the excessive use.

Termination of Beta Program and Starlink Kit Returns
At the end of Beta Program, or whenever SpaceX determines, your participation in the Beta Program will be terminated, Starlink Services will be shut off and you will be required to return the Starlink Kit to SpaceX, at SpaceX’s shipping cost, following return instructions that will be provided to you.

To terminate your participation in the Beta Program at any time, please contact Customer Support by signing into your Starlink Account. SpaceX will provide you with instructions for returning the Starlink Kit, at SpaceX’s cost.

Failure to return the Starlink Kit within 30 days of Beta Program termination or within 30 days from SpaceX’s request for any reason, may result in your credit or debit card on file being charged an equipment fee.

_____________________

Billing

Starlink hardware or services, but are being requested exclusively to allow for the testing of our ordering and billing systems as part of this beta program. SpaceX is temporarily loaning you the hardware and providing the internet services free of charge. The $1 will be charged 30 days after your hardware is shipped. This invitation is not transferable to any other address. By clicking the above link you are activating Starlink Services and authorize regularly scheduled charges to the payment method on file. These charges are not a fee for the Starlink hardware or services, but are being requested exclusively to allow for the testing of our ordering and billing systems as part of this beta program. SpaceX is temporarily loaning you the hardware and providing the internet services free of charge. The $1 will be charged 30 days after your hardware is shipped. This invitation is not transferable to any other address. By clicking the above link you are activating Starlink Services and authorize regularly scheduled charges to the payment method on file.

_____________________

Mounting Options:

Ridgeline Mount [EZ-PNP-A-KIT]

The Ridgeline mount should take between 20-40 minutes to install, and it will require the ability to carry approximately 50 lbs of ballast to the mount location.

Lawn Mount [EZ-PNP-NTA-KIT]

The Lawn mount should take between 5-10 minutes to install, and it will require the ability to carry approximately 50 lbs of ballast to the mount location

Volcano Mount

The Volcano mount should take between 90-180 minutes to install, and will require the knowledge and ability to secure directly to the edge of your roof.

No Mount

No mount is necessary for your location.

references to this existing roof mount NPR8R1-05

_____________________

Order Confirmation:

Thank you for participating in Starlink Beta! You will receive an email shortly confirming receipt of your order. Once your kit is ready to go, we will update your account and send you a Shipment Notification with tracking information.
 
How starlink is going to be cheaper than the old school sat internet

That SpaceX is launching more mass than others simply means they're launching more often than everyone else.

Starlink will be cheaper than legacy GEO internet service because by any performance metric ($/bit or whatever), a Starlink satellite is orders of magnitude cheaper. For reference, the latest Hughes sat (Jupiter 3) will probably be the better part of $1M/gbps. The latest Viasat (Viasat-3) might be half that. If we use $125k/sat and 20gbps/sat for Starlink (happy for a check on the 20gbps), my remedial math skills say ~$6-6.5k/gbps. And again that's compared to the latest GEO stuff that hasn't launched yet, not the older GEO stuff that's even worse.

The reasons a Starlink can be so cheap relative to a GEO (when normalized to performance) are:
1. Because a GEO needs to survive 15 years with dual-string rad-hard reliability, compared to Starlink that has to last 5 or whatever years with "eh, there goes another one" single string COTS reliability, in the relative safety of 500km.
2. The GEO manufacturers and operators are not willing to lean as far forward into technology as SpaceX. There's a culture of fly-what-you-know that limits technological step functions. Even when the operators ask for big step functions AND the manufacturers respond favorably in the RFI/RFP stages, the operators inevitably throttle back the ask in favor of a more conservative aggregate TRL. (Don't get me started on this latest round of Intelsat/SES C-band sats...). This manifests as expensive, legacy equipment that is quite derated from equivalent-ish terrestrial technology on the GEOs--and I'm talking down to things like diodes and capacitors.
3. 500km (+slant range) opens up an entirely different realm of technology. Starlink's phased arrays are circuit boards that maybe cost a couple hundred bucks each. A phased array with equivalent EIRP or G/T at GEO needs to be significantly higher power, and so significantly higher thermal loads, and so it ends up being a completely different thing--a traditional waveguide feed horn stacked on a power amp with all the other accoutrement. AND, to get enough gain that GEO phased array is most likely feeding a reflector which is a whole 'nuther can of worms. So...you're easily in the $M's for that array, and maybe even tens of $M's

So then we can move on to the launch savings:
4. All that conservative technology on the GEOs racks up to mass. If you normalize to gbps/launch on a F9 J3 at 500gbps and V3 at 1000gbps are comparing to easily 1200gpb for a Starlink stack (if you believe the 20gbps/sat number). So even cutting edge GEO technology (V3) is still more expensive to launch than Starlink, and second-best technology (J3) is over twice as expensive to launch!
5. Finally, of course, we can also rack in the fact that SpaceX is vertical and Starlink can essentially launch at cost. Even if those big GEOs can squeeze an ASDS at $60M or whatever, that's still twice as much (or whatever) as Starlink's effective cost. But that has nothing to do with SpaceX's launch cadence, lifted mass or anything like that.
 
So a while back I posted an annotated pic from the coverage as of June 21st, we now have the beta area noted as "The Starlink system is currently made up of nearly 600 satellites orbiting the Earth that can provide internet service in a very specific range-between 44 and 52 degrees north latitude." and I'm assuming west coast US first. So what does that look like. Washington St, Northern Oregon, and maybe some states to the east? All areas that will have 100% coverage before the beta period ends (in about 8 weeks after they get some people started).


upload_2020-7-15_1-7-3.png
 
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So a while back I posted an annotated pic from the coverage as of June 21st, we now have the beta area noted as "The Starlink system is currently made up of nearly 600 satellites orbiting the Earth that can provide internet service in a very specific range-between 44 and 52 degrees north latitude." and I'm assuming west coast US first. So what does that look like. Washington St, Northern Oregon, and maybe some states to the east? All areas that will have 100% coverage before the beta period ends (in about 8 weeks after they get some people started).


View attachment 564740
Coverage will be limited to the area near Redmond WA due to SpaceX having a ground relay station near there. So shrink that region's eastern edge.

Starlink Beta will begin in the Northern United States and lower Canada, with those living in rural and/or remote communities in the Washington state area.
 
I find the part about a view of the northern sky a bit odd unless the beta is strictly for southern California or some specific neighborhood that has mountains to the south.
Happy to hear you got into the beta program! Your service address is in Knoxville, the city shown below your avatar, correct?

So how far have you gotten in the setup process?
 
Happy to hear you got into the beta program! Your service address is in Knoxville, the city shown below your avatar, correct?

So how far have you gotten in the setup process?

I am not in the beta, the information posted was taken from the code on the starlink website.

If I were in the beta I would have had to sign an NDA that wouldn't allow me to answer questions here. Bittersweet, I am free to discuss starlink in any way.
 
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I am not in the beta, the information posted was taken from the code on the starlink website.

If I were in the beta I would have had to sign an NDA that wouldn't allow me to answer questions here. Bittersweet, I am free to discuss starlink in any way.
Between a curious mainstream media and social platforms like reddit, it might be difficult to keep a lid on some of the experiences of Starlink beta users.
Code on SpaceX's Starlink website contains the first official photos of Elon Musk's 'UFO on a stick' — and key details about the satellite-internet project's test program
 
They have more than one gateway up in the NW

Starlink US gateways - Google My Maps

That's an interesting density arrangement. Looks like they are light in the NE where population is concentrated. Then again, they don't care about urban populations, their market is rural. So on second thought, it might make a lot of sense. I wonder if SpaceX took the trouble to figure out the places that have the crappiest broadband coverage and then applied to the FCC to place their terminals there. That would be impressive.
 
Starlink will be cheaper than legacy GEO internet service because by any performance metric ($/bit or whatever), a Starlink satellite is orders of magnitude cheaper.

For another installment of bxr's only a narcissist quotes themselves, I figured I'd give a bit of a tempering counterpoint to the above concept, at least at a real 0th order. There's a lot of assumptions here [IMHO reasonable] just to keep the math easy, but the result is no doubt some wide error bars on the conclusion.

TLDR: Starlink-to-orbit is cheaper than GEO but maybe not quite as cheap as it might appear.

For coverage/capacity:
--If we assume Viasat-3 (the latest and greatest GEO tech) serves conus with 70% of its 1000gbps capacity
--That's the equivalent to ~35 20gbps Starlink sats over conus
--If we assume starlink service goes up to 55°
--Questionable math says conus represents ~2% of the earth's surface area between +/-55
--If we assume even distribution of sats between 55's, and we know 35 sats represents 2% of the surface area between 55's, that means the constellation needs 1750 sats in it to cover conus with the same capacity as Viasat 3
--But we know satellite density is latitude dependent and conus is generally under a denser part of the constellation, so let's apply a generous 50% factor here and say the constellation really only needs 875 sats in the constellation to normalize to Viasat 3 capacity over conus

For financials:
--Let's assume Viasat costs $550M to orbit ($490M for the sat and $60M for a F9)
--If we assume a Starlink is $114k, 875 Starlinks = $100M
--If we assume Starlink launch cost is $30M, 875 Starlinks is 15 launches @ $450M
--Starlink sats at $100M + launches at $450M = $550M to orbit

So Starlink, in a constellation configuration that provides equivalent capacity to a single Viasat 3 over conus, is about the same price to orbit.

Obviously Starlink can also serve the rest of the world so that's an offset to the above maths. Its probably fair to assume at least 60-70% of global Starlink service will be conus so the up-factor in the post-above-assessment W column for starlink would be 30% or so. There's also the fact that V3 is clearly the latest-and-greatest GEO and J3 in second place has much worse price-performance, so layering this kind of assessment to satellites beyond V3 goes more in the favor of Starlink. Flip side, the 50% constellation factor applied above is probably bit too agressive, and there's existing GEO capacity on orbit that's kinda giving GEO a head start (at least from a pure capacity standpoint). Anyway, there's a number of other puts and takes in there too that probably all more or less cancel out, again at least at the 0th order.
 
I think you are off here:
--If we assume Starlink launch cost is $30M, 875 Starlinks is 15 launches @ $450M
No way a reused booster launch with recovered fairings costs 30 million.
Variable costs are: Range fee, support craft, fuel and a second stage. They charge 60 million for a low flight count launch. A 4th or 5th use booster is already paid off (3rd too, probably).

Obviously Starlink can also serve the rest of the world so that's an offset to the above maths. Its probably fair to assume at least 60-70% of global Starlink service will be conus so the up-factor in the post-above-assessment W column for starlink would be 30% or so.

How is that a fair estimate? You are saying even though most of the world's population lives between 55N and 55S, the US will be 60% of the usage? radicalcartography
With only data as the variable cost (esp once laser link are running), any additional subscribers are nearly pure profit. So those 840 sats not serving the conus are adding to revenue (even those over the ocean via cruise ship and airline feeds (once those things operate again)).