Universe Today

In May of 2019, SpaceX began launching its Starlink constellation with the launch of its first 60 satellites. To date, the company has launched over 800 satellites and (as of this summer) is producing them at a rate of about 120 a month. By late 2021 or 2022, Elon Musk hopes to have a constellation of 1,440 satellites providing near-global service and perhaps as many as 42,000 providing internet to the entire planet before the decade is out.

As of November 2020, SpaceX has invited participants to take part in a public beta test called “Better Than Nothing.” The service, aptly named, is providing users with a modest rate of between 50 to 150 megabits per second, a far cry from the gigabit download speeds at low latency they hope to offer. But perhaps more interesting is the small item in the terms of service, where participants must acknowledge that Mars is a “free planet.”

This item was spotted by Twitter account “WholeMarsBlog” (which has since been deactivated), and later confirmed Reddit-user “Smoke-Away.” On a message board posted to Starlink’s official Reddit account (on Wednesday, Oct. 28th), they attached the full terms of service document that users must sign to become involved in the “Better than Nothing” beta test.

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