SPACEX will be charging $99 (£76) a month for its Starlink satellite broadband service, according to reports.

There will also be a a $499 (£384) upfront cost to order the Starlink kit.

An image of the suspected Starlink dish said to be 'data mined' from the official website

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An image of the suspected Starlink dish said to be ‘data mined’ from the official websiteCredit: Reddit/Bybby4j

This is according to CNBC, which claims to have seen an official email listing the prices.

SpaceX will soon be starting its public Starlink beta test in the US and sent emails around on Monday to people who have expressed an interest.

The testing kit is said to include a user terminal that connects with the satellites, a WiFi router and a mounting tripod.

Users will also need to download a Starlink app.

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The test will be taking place in northern US and potentially Canada.

Although there has been speculation that the service will be much faster than competitors, the initial public test will be called “Better Than Nothing Beta”.

According to CNBC, the new email reads: “As you can tell from the title, we are trying to lower your initial expectations.

“Expect to see data speeds vary from 50Mb/s to 150Mb/s and latency from 20ms to 40ms over the next several months as we enhance the Starlink system.

“There will also be brief periods of no connectivity at all.”

It’s unclear how many prospective users received this email.

What the satellites looked like in the night sky over the Netherlands before reaching full orbit last year

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What the satellites looked like in the night sky over the Netherlands before reaching full orbit last yearCredit: AFP PHOTO / HO/ Marco Langbroek, Leiden, the Netherlands

Over 700,000 individuals across the US have said to have expressed an interest in trying the service.

You can still sign up for information on Starlink via Starlink.com.

New sign-ups will also be asked for their address so they can be informed if a test is coming to their area.

Starlink satellites have been providing internet in parts of the northern US since July but this is part of a private beta test.

The Starlink website claims: “With performance that far surpasses that of traditional satellite internet, and a global network unbounded by ground infrastructure limitations, Starlink will deliver high-speed broadband internet to locations where access has been unreliable, expensive, or completely unavailable.”

What is Starlink?

Starlink is a controversial scheme that aims to beam Wi-Fi to people from space using a “mega constellation” of thousands of satellites.

“With performance that far surpasses that of traditional satellite internet … Starlink will deliver high speed broadband internet to locations where access has been unreliable, expensive, or completely unavailable,” the official website explains.

The project is the brainchild of tech billionaire Elon Musk, whose California-based rocket firm SpaceX builds and operates the satellites.

More than 420 have been launched so far, with the network eventually set to reach 12,000, rising to as many as 42,000 in the future.

SpaceX sends its satellites up in batches of 60 at a time. Each group is launched atop an unmanned Falcon 9 rocket built by SpaceX.

The solar-powered tech typically orbits around 340 miles above Earth.

What is SpaceX?

Here’s what you need to know…

SpaceX is a cash-flushed rocket company that wants to take man to Mars.

It was set up by eccentric billionaire Elon Musk in 2002 and is based in Hawthorne, California.

SpaceX’s first aim was to build rockets that could autonomously land back on Earth and be re-used.

Musk hoped the technology would make flying and operating space flights far cheaper.

SpaceX currently uses its reusable rockets to fly cargo to the International Space Station for Nasa.

It also carries satellites and other space tech into orbit for various international governments and companies.

The company took astronauts up to the ISS for the first time in 2020.

Other future missions involve carrying tourists and astronauts to the Moon.

Musk has repeatedly said he believes humanity must colonise Mars to save itself from extinction.

He plans to get a SpaceX rocket to the Red Planet sometime in the 2030s.

Elon Musk discusses plans to send humans to MARS in 2024 as billionaire SpaceX genius reveals timeline for colony

In other space news, SpaceX wants to take its Starlink satellite broadband service to Mars.

Nasa has announced the discovery of water on the Moon’s surface.

Stargazers are in for a treat this week as there’s a chance to see a comet, Uranus at opposition and a ‘Blue Moon’ on Halloween.

Are you hoping to use Starlink internet? Let us know in the comments…


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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk

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