The National Science Foundation (NSF) has begun testing the Starlink terminal at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. As expected, the increased bandwidth of Internet access will help scientists.
McMurdo is the most populous Antarctic station. More than 1,000 people live and work here during the summer, according to NSF. Previously, the station already had satellite Internet, but it was not of high quality and had a total access speed of 17 Mbps for all users. Therefore, people could not use bandwidth-intensive applications such as Netflix, cloud backup, and video calls.
The introduction of Starlink terminals will increase the throughput to 50-200 Mbps, which will greatly facilitate the transfer of important scientific data. NSF spokesman Mike England said he could not comment on what exactly the system would be used for as it is currently in beta testing.
Starlink is now on all seven continents! In such a remote location like Antarctica, this capability is enabled by Starlink’s space laser network https://t.co/c9HX0xrX0u
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 14, 2022
In turn, SpaceX retweeted the NSF post, stating that Starlink is “now on all seven continents” and that its ability to operate in remote locations such as Antarctica is available thanks to the “Starlink space laser network.” Although, in fairness, it should be noted that coverage in Africa and Asia is still far from ideal. However, the company plans to launch the service by the end of the year in at least two countries on each continent – Nigeria, Mozambique, Japan and the Philippines. The company also plans to expand coverage to most of the world’s oceans early next year.
In addition, if the test in Antarctica is successful, it could help prove that SpaceX has the technology to reach even the most remote areas.
Starlink Internet is now available on yachts for $5,000 per month (equipment costs an additional $10,000)
Source: The Verge
