SpaceX launches Starlink satellites for global broadband internet

SpaceX launched its first two satellites for global broadband internet in the space. The satellites, named Tintin A and Tintin B, are being used to test SpaceX's future Starlink broadband service. Once all the necessary testing has been completed, the launch of operational satellites could begin sometime in 2019.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk  tweeted an eight-second video of the company's first broadband satellites, saying they are now "deployed and communicating to Earth stations."

First two Starlink demo satellites, called Tintin A & B, deployed and communicating to Earth stations pic.twitter.com/TfI53wHEtz

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 22, 2018

Musk also tweeted that the satellites "will attempt to beam 'hello world'... when they pass near LA". "Don't tell anyone, but the Wi-Fi password is 'martians,'" Musk added. "That was a DM, right?"

According to the plan, SpaceX's satellites will have low Earth orbits, allowing them to provide Internet service with latency similar to cable and fiber services. That should make SpaceX broadband a lot more pleasant to use than existing satellite services.

As per the mission description, equipped with an advanced radar instrument, PAZ will cover the entire globe in 24 hours, serving both commercial and government needs. Designed for a mission life of five and a half years, PAZ will orbit the Earth 15 times per day, providing an internet coverage for an area of over 300,000 square km from an altitude of 514 km and a velocity of seven km per second.

Earlier this month, SpaceX launched world's most powerful rocket Falcon Heavy from Cape Canaveral in Florida marking a historical feat for the company led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk.