Three months after tweeting that the company would activate the service there amid protests throughout Iran, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk revealed on Monday that they are now close to installing around 100 active Starlinks in the Islamic nation, as reported first by Reuters.
"Approaching 100 Starlinks active in Iran," Musk said in a tweet on Monday, Dec. 26.
(Photo : JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during a press conference at SpaceX's Starbase facility near Boca Chica Village in South Texas on February 10, 2022. - Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk delivered an eagerly-awaited update on SpaceX's Starship, a prototype rocket the company is developing for crewed interplanetary exploration.
"Advance Internet Freedom"
As part of an initiative supported by the US and aimed to "advance internet freedom and the free flow of information" to Iranians, the billionaire had declared in September that he would activate Starlink in the country.
In the midst of nationwide protests, Iranians may be able to bypass the government's limitations on accessing the internet and some social media sites with the use of the satellite-based broadband service.
Protests began in the Islamic Republic after Mahsa Amini, 22, died in police custody in September after being detained by the morality police for wearing "unsuitable attire."
The satellite constellation known as Starlink claims to offer a global internet connection. The service attempts to provide broadband internet access in isolated, rural areas where there is either no internet or an unstable connection.
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Starlink Internet Service
The Starlink satellite internet service utilizes technology that has been available for a while. In essence, radio signals are carried through satellite systems to transmit data instead of using cable or fiber optic technology.
After receiving signals from ground stations, Starlink users on Earth receive data from the orbiting satellites. Each of the several satellites that make up the Starlink constellation weighs 573 kg and has a flat body.
The Falcon 9 rocket alone is capable of lifting up to 60 satellites.
Musk said in September that he will request the lifting of some sanctions that have been in place since the Nuclear Arms Deal was broken in order to provide this technology to the Iranian people.
He also announced on Twitter that he would be searching for exceptions to the limitations and authorization to install the Starlink service in Iran, using tweets from Iranians who wanted the service enabled.
This month, SpaceX could also start launching second-generation Starlink satellites to expand the capability of its growing internet network.
The space firm announced that it intends to begin launching Gen2 satellites "before the end of December 2022" in regulatory documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission on December 16.
The company is asking the FCC for a special temporary permission (STA) that will last for 60 days so that it can connect current user terminals to upcoming satellites in low-Earth orbit.
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