SpaceX has achieved another significant milestone by enabling users to post on Twitter, formerly known as “X,” for the first time using mobile devices connected via its Direct-to-Cell satellite service.
This achievement comes shortly after the company’s successful text message transmission from space via Starlink satellites. Elon Musk reiterated that this connectivity was achieved solely through a satellite and a cell phone.
Ben Longmier, senior director of satellite engineering at SpaceX, shared a captivating image on Twitter of a Californian mountain range demonstrating the use of direct-to-cell satellite services for communication. Longmier emphasized the challenges posed by tree cover in maintaining satellite connectivity, highlighting the importance of clear line-of-sight for optimal signal transmission.
Connecting cell phones to satellites presents various challenges, including the satellites’ rapid movements, Doppler shift, timing errors, and low transmit power and antenna gain of distant satellites. Despite these obstacles, SpaceX asserts that its Starlink satellites, equipped with specialized silicon, phased array antennas, and advanced software algorithms, can overcome these challenges and provide standard LTE connectivity to ground-based mobile phones.
SpaceX’s recent launch of Starlink satellites capable of transmitting phone signals directly to smartphones marks a significant step forward. Collaborating with T-Mobile in select US regions, SpaceX aims to expand network access. Additionally, partnerships with wireless carriers KDDI, Optus, One NZ, and Rogers will facilitate the introduction of Direct-to-Cell technology, promising enhanced connectivity worldwide.