The figure could be revised downwards.

SpaceX, which has requested authorization to launch 42,000 satellites for its Starlink constellation intended to provide broadband from space, will probably not need to put as many into orbit.

"Of course we want to launch more satellites because more and more people want to use the service," chief operating officer Gwynne Shotwell told reporters on Monday.

But, "I don't think we will need 40,000 satellites to provide good service globally," she added.

More massive satellites, with larger antennas and better capacity, such as those of the next generation that SpaceX is preparing to put into orbit, according to her, will make it possible to reduce the number of them.

Space clutter and visual pollution

The explosion in the number of satellites, in particular at a few hundred kilometers altitude, raises fears of congestion in low orbit and the multiplication of debris in the event of a collision.

Some astronomers also warn against visual pollution, which is harmful to their observations.

Since 2019, SpaceX has deployed nearly 3,000 Starlink satellites and performs about one launch per week with its own rockets to accelerate the deployment of its constellation.

On Sunday, billionaire Elon Musk's company launched 34 additional satellites aboard a Falcon 9 whose main stage was reused for the fourteenth time, a first.

6,500 customers in France

The Starlink service, launched at the end of 2020, allows residents of areas poorly served by the fixed and mobile networks of telecom operators to have access to high-speed Internet.

The service is also offered for commercial ships and aircraft as well as small businesses.

It requires an antenna and a wifi sold for nearly 500 euros and a subscription of 50 euros per month for France (110 dollars in the United States).

According to Gwynne Shotwell, Starlink has more than 700,000 customers worldwide, including 75,000 in Europe and 6,500 in France.

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  • high tech

  • SpaceX

  • Space

  • Satellite

  • Elon Musk

  • Internet