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This week, Elon Musk’s Starlink exceeded four million customers, representing an impressive increase of one million since the end of May.
The satellite internet network has been on an upward trajectory since launching operations in October 2020, just under four years ago.
The SpaceX subsidiary confirmed the landmark on Thursday in a post on Musk’s X social media network, expressing gratitude to its vast user base.
Starlink is connecting more than 4M people with high-speed internet across 100+ countries, territories and many other markets.
Thank you to all of our customers around the world! 🛰️🌎❤️ → https://t.co/zR6w4t1qM9 pic.twitter.com/sk7wucihxH
— Starlink (@Starlink) September 26, 2024
Starlink President Gwynne Shotwell preceded that announcement in a House Appropriations Committee meeting with Texas lawmakers on Tuesday.
Starlink prides itself on providing online connectivity to underserved communities and remote locations, whether in rural areas of the United States or in countries besieged by conflict, like Yemen which became the first country in the Middle East to avail of Starlink’s internet satellites earlier this month.
Astronomers Aren’t Happy With Starlink’s Continued Growth
Passing the four million customer mark will likely renew aspirations for further growth, given the relative speed at which it was achieved.
One million subscribers were secured by December 2022, then the company hit two million less than a year later in September 2023. In May this year, the three million mark was smashed and now, just four months on, the four million subscriber milestone has been reached.
Starlink’s constellation consists of around 6,400 satellites, not only serving remote demographics but also major commercial industries, such as airlines and cruise liners.
The proliferation of satellites in orbit has not been universally welcomed as astronomers are increasingly concerned about the rapid increase in quantity, with unintended radiation leakages making it difficult for stargazers.
Light streaks have been a common concern for some time, but now radio signals from new satellites are causing further problems with researchers claiming the new “V2” Mini Starlink satellites release interference 32 times stronger than what emanated from previous models.
