Starlink, SpaceX's satellite internet service, has changed a lot since it launched, including introducing the Starlink Mini alongside more affordable options. However, it looks like one of its best plans, the $10 Roam 10GB, is being discontinued.
Verizon recently suffered a significant outage that left millions across the US without calls, texts, or internet for an entire day. This was a huge hit, restricting friendsβ and familiesβ ability to communicate and forcing some businesses to shut down for the day. What can you do to protect yourself from the next time a mobile network goes down?
Russia has equipped a BM-35 one-way attack drone with a Starlink-type satellite terminal, Ukrainian specialists said after the aircraft was shot down and examined this week. According to Serhii Beskrestnov, known by the call sign βFlash,β the recovered drone showed clear evidence of remote control through the Starlink system. βFor the first time, the fact [β¦]
President Trump asked Elon Musk to get Starlink working more reliably in Iran to thwart the Iranian government's Internet shutdown. Starlink operator SpaceX was apparently already working on the problem before Trump reached out to Musk.
Iran severed Internet connections and phone lines last week as the government conducted a violent crackdown on anti-government demonstrators, according to numerous reports, which say that thousands of people have been killed.
Starlink hasn't been completely disabled. The government's jamming technology has reportedly caused Starlink packet loss of anywhere from 30 to 80 percent.
Beyond simply allowing SpaceX to launch more satellites and expand its high-speed internet coverage, the FCC says its decision also means Starlink satellites can operate across five frequencies to provide direct-to-cell connectivity outside the United States.
SpaceX today received US permission to launch another 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites, bringing its total authorization to 15,000 Gen2 satellites including those previously approved.
"Under this grant, SpaceX is authorized to construct, deploy, and operate an additional 7,500 Gen2 Starlink satellites, bringing the total to 15,000 satellites worldwide," the FederalΒ Communications Commission announced today. "This expansion will enable SpaceX to deliver high-speed, low-latency Internet service globally, including enhanced mobile and supplemental coverage from space."
The FCC gave SpaceX permission for the first set of 7,500 satellites in December 2022. The agency deferred action on the rest of the second-generation constellation at the time and limited the first batch to certain altitudes, saying it needed to "address concerns about orbital debris and space safety" before approving the full bunch.
The year 2025 ended with more than 14,000 active satellites from all nations zooming around the Earth. One-third of them will soon move to lower altitudes.
The maneuvers will be undertaken by SpaceX, the owner of the largest satellite fleet in orbit. About 4,400 of the company's Starlink Internet satellites will move from an altitude of 341 miles (550 kilometers) to 298 miles (480 kilometers) over the course of 2026, according to Michael Nicolls, SpaceX's vice president of Starlink engineering.
"Starlink is beginning a significant reconfiguration of its satellite constellation focused on increasing space safety," Nicolls wrote Thursday in a post on X.
The Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday published footage claiming a successful drone strike on a Ukrainian An-26 transport aircraft parked at an airfield in Mykolaiv, far from the active front line. According to the released video, the aircraft was hit directly on the apron at an airfield approximately 80 kilometers from the line of contact. [β¦]