SpaceX to Launch 144 Rockets in 2024, Upgrading Starlink Network for T-Mobile Cellphone Satellite Service by 2025
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SpaceX plans to launch up to 144 rockets in 2024, up from about 100 in 2022, to refresh its Starlink satellite network.
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The increased launch rate will support rolling out Starlink's satellite-to-cellphone service, allowing phones to connect directly to satellites.
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T-Mobile has partnered with SpaceX on this service, which could eliminate cellphone deadzones by putting a "cell tower in the sky".
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SpaceX will start testing the satellite-to-cellphone service in 2023 before an expected full rollout in 2025.
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Larger Starlink satellites needed for voice and data will launch on SpaceX's future Starship rocket, while intermediate-sized satellites will launch on Falcon 9.