Starlink breaks record by traveling at almost twice the speed of sound

SpaceX added a Starlink receiver to the Starship prototype during the test stages in April, aiming to have high-speed internet access for the rocket that will go to Mars. Recently, SpaceX confirmed that its internet service was working, and in the process it set a new performance record by flying at almost twice the speed of sound and flying at almost three times the altitude at which commercial airplanes fly.

Starship gets high-speed internet

The first hint of SpaceX’s plan to use Starlink in high-density environments came from a filing with the Federal Communications Commission in 2021. In this filing, SpaceX appears to have requested permission to conduct tests to determine whether Starlink is suitable for orbital spaceflight missions.

Upon acceptance of this application, SpaceX is on track to conduct tests. However, it is unclear whether the Starlink service, which appears in the testing phase of Starship, is being tested in crewed or cargo variants of the Dragon spacecraft.

A month after SpaceX applied for orbital flights, it filed another application requesting authorization to test Starlink during Starship’s second-stage suborbital test flight. Thus, rocket photos showing Starlink bowls installed on the rocket during the test phases came to light.