SpaceX Starlink broadband satellite internet service is rapidly expanding around the world. To date, the company operates approximately 3,580 Starlink satellites in Low Earth Orbit that provide high-speed internet to over one million subscribers globally.
Japan became the first country in Asia to have access to Starlink in October 2022. This past week, telecommunications company KDDI announced it partnered with map-maker Zenrin and other companies in Japan to launch a drone delivery service that uses SpaceX Starlink satellite internet.
The drone delivery service is currently delivering emergency supplies to residents in the snowy mountainous city of Chichibu after a landslide. Chichibu previously did not have reliable internet service, Starlink now provides a stable connection to allow emergency responders to communicate with residents, as well as operate the drones. The drones are delivering food and medicines to people who need it the most, according to The Japan Times. The drones will deliver supplies once a week until the end of March. Japanese news outlet TV Tokyo Biz shared a video of the drone delivering emergency supplies on January 26rd, linked below. The video shows the drone carrying a cardboard box loaded with around 11 pounds of supplies and the Starlink antenna is installed nearby to use internet connection that guides the drone to the people’s homes. Watch the video below. Read more: Zipair Tokyo becomes the first Airline in Asia to provide SpaceX Starlink Internet
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Featured Image Source: TV Tokyo Biz via YouTube
Image Source: The Japan Times
About the Author
Evelyn Janeidy Arevalo
Evelyn J. Arevalo joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover news as a Space Journalist and SpaceX Starbase Texas Correspondent. Evelyn is specialized in rocketry and space exploration. The main topics she covers are SpaceX and NASA.
