SpaceX is currently seeking to enter the broadband market by means of launching a constellation of Internet-transmitting satellites into orbit. The more than 180 satellite network, known as Starlink, could grow to more than 42,000 devices in the future with the hopes of delivering cheap, high-speed Internet from space. SpaceX will certainly face obstacles as it moves forward with its development. Most notably, it must develop user terminals (high-tech devices designed to receive the broadband signal on the ground) that are affordable, reliable and low maintenance. It’s currently estimated that a single unit would cost users about $1,000, nearly $850 more expensive than SpaceX’s target price. Moreover, in order to deliver Internet signals at competitive speeds, SpaceX must set the orbit of its broadband satellites at approximately 340 miles high, which is drastically lower than traditional telecom satellites currently orbiting at about 20,000 miles overhead.
