Starlink down in US? Thousands of users report outages on Elon Musk’s satellite internet service

United States based users are reporting outages while affecting SpaceX’s Starlink service, according to outage tracking website DownDetector. As of writing this article, there have been around 1,000 reports of problems in accessing Starlink’s internet service with 86% of the users citin ‘network issues’ related problems while 14% users reporting a ‘total blackout’. 

A subsidiary of Elon Musk’s rocket company SpaceX, Starlink comprises a network of multiple satellites situated in the Earth’s atmosphere that work in concert to provide high-speed internet.

The company provides high-speed, low-latency broadband internet worldwide using satellite technology.

It uses a constellation of 7,000 (intended to increase to 40,000) low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites, situated 550 km above the Earth. Its LEO satellites are the world’s largest and deliver broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, and video calls.

The most acclaimed use case is its ability to supply internet to rural and underserved areas, where traditional internet modes such as cable or fibre are unreliable or unavailable.

For the tech to work, Starlink’s satellites communicate with ground stations and user terminals, which require an unobstructed, clear view of the sky.