The internet has become a necessary part of life in the modern-day world and we just can’t imagine running our lives without it. Most things we do today requires an internet connection, whether it is related to work or play.

It really surprises me how much this one single invention has changed the world and continues to do it even today. I suspect we still haven't seen the full potential yet, in which case I can't even imagine what comes next.

Today, the internet has become more of a necessity than something that you buy for pleasure. Still, more than half the population of the world doesn't have access to basic internet.

In many places, people have smartphones but do not have the internet which is really a sad state of affairs. But all that could change if Elon Musk has his way and his dream of a global broadband system comes true.

Starlink

SpaceX, led by the eccentric Elon Musk wants to create a constellation of low-cost, high-performance satellites that will form an entirely new space-based internet communication system.

The plan is to launch 12,000 satellites to space at varying degrees of distance from the Earth. That's a whole lot of satellites to launch considering that the total number of satellites up there right now is just 5000.

SpaceX plans to do it gradually over a period of around five years. If things don't go as smoothly, it might also take a decade but ultimately this can be done.

The second piece of the puzzle is the ground stations which will receive the internet signal from the satellites and transmit it to homes and offices through fibre optic cables. This will allow companies to provide internet access even to the remotest of areas in the world.

Ultimately, Elon Musk plans to build a similar network on Mars which will link our planet to it, essentially creating a planetary internet system. The name Starlink sure makes a lot of sense when you think about it like that.


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