SpaceX Starlink Internet service is now available in Spain. This week, the company e-mailed potential customers who signed up via Starlink.com to receive updates about service availability in their area. “Starlink is now available in limited supply in Spain!” the e-mail says in Spanish language, “You can expect to see download speeds between100 and 200 Mb/s [megabits per second] during the following months as we improve the Starlink system. There will also be short periods of no connectivity,” it reads. Some Starlink users around the world report experiencing even faster download speeds that surpass 300Mb/s.
Multiple Spain customers who pre-ordered the internet service shared via social media that they also received confirmation that their Starlink Kit is ready to be shipped. The kit includes a phased-array antenna and Wi-Fi router to easily access the satellite network. Some people in Europe who pre-ordered have been waiting for almost two years after placing a $99 USD deposit. A customer pointed out that upon paying the $499 USD Starlink Kit at check-out, SpaceX informs the customer of a $10 USD (9 EURO) regulatory tax that the Spanish government imposed on telecommunication services, as seen in the screenshot below.
Source: Potential Starlink Customer In Spain
Source: Spanish Starlink Customer via Reddit
Spain is now part of the list of countries that can access the Starlink network, which includes: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Switzerland, United States, and United Kingdom. Service could become available this year in rural regions located in Brazil and other parts of Latin America.
With approximately 1,944 Starlink satellites in orbit SpaceX is already connecting over 140,000 users to high-speed satellite internet. When it launches more satellites to Low Earth Orbit it will be able to expand service coverage globally. The Starlink constellation will have over 12,000 satellites. The company’s Falcon 9 rocket conducts satellite deployments once or twice a month. The next Starlink mission is scheduled for Thursday, January 6. A previously-flown Falcon 9 rocket will liftoff at 4:49 p.m. EST from Launch Complex-39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying a batch of at least 53 Starlink satellites to orbit [date is subject to change].
Featured Image Source: SpaceX
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.
