SpaceX Starlink Revealed This By Accident
Summary
TLDRSpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service has seen significant improvements in latency since January 2024, with 222 software updates aimed at reducing latency by over 30% for US subscribers. The company is working towards a goal of achieving latency under 20 milliseconds, which would bring it close to fiber connection speeds. These updates include new algorithms and quality of service improvements to prioritize data packets for better performance during gaming and video calls. Additionally, Starlink is planning to lower satellite orbits to further decrease latency, with the service already boasting over 2.6 million subscribers after a recent surge.
Takeaways
- 🚀 SpaceX's Starlink has implemented 222 software updates since January 1st, focusing on improving system performance.
- 🎮 The updates aim to reduce latency, which is crucial for gaming and real-time applications like video conferencing.
- 🎯 Elon Musk has set a goal for Starlink to achieve latency under 20 milliseconds, comparable to fiber connections.
- 📉 Starlink has reportedly reduced latency by over 30% for US subscribers, from 48.5 milliseconds to 33 milliseconds during peak usage hours.
- 🌐 International users outside the US have also seen improvements, with mean latency reduced by up to 35%.
- 🔍 SpaceX monitors latency rates by collecting anonymized data from millions of Starlink routers every 15 seconds.
- 🤖 The company uses AI and algorithms to prioritize data packets and optimize the network for quality of service (QoS).
- 🛰️ Starlink is working on lowering satellite orbit from 530 km to 330 km to save 2 milliseconds in round-trip time, contributing to lower latency.
- 📈 Since December, Starlink has added 400,000 subscribers, growing from 2.2 million to 2.6 million.
- 🔄 In addition to Starlink updates, SpaceX has also performed 193 satellite software updates, 75 Gateway software updates, and 57 WiFi updates since January.
Q & A
How many software updates has SpaceX Starlink rolled out since January 1st?
-SpaceX Starlink has rolled out 222 software updates since January 1st.
What is SpaceX's goal regarding latency for Starlink?
-SpaceX's goal is to reduce Starlink's latency to under 20 milliseconds.
How has Starlink's latency improved for US subscribers in recent months?
-Starlink's latency for US subscribers has improved by more than 30%, from 48.5 milliseconds to 33 milliseconds during peak usage hours.
What is the significance of reducing latency for online gaming and video calls?
-Reducing latency is crucial for smooth online gaming and video calls as it ensures timely responses and prevents delays that can disrupt the user experience.
How often does SpaceX collect anonymized latency measurements from Starlink routers?
-SpaceX collects anonymized latency measurements from millions of Starlink routers every 15 seconds.
What is one of the strategies SpaceX is using to reduce latency?
-One strategy SpaceX is using to reduce latency includes orbiting satellites at a closer distance to Earth, specifically from 530 km down to 330 km, which could save up to 2 milliseconds.
How many additional subscribers did Starlink gain since December according to the company's report?
-Starlink gained an additional 400,000 subscribers since December, increasing from 2.2 million to 2.6 million subscribers.
What does the term 'QoS' stand for, and what is its relevance to Starlink's network improvements?
-QoS stands for Quality of Service, which is relevant to Starlink's network improvements as it involves using algorithms to prioritize data packets and reduce unnecessary latency for users.
What type of updates has SpaceX been working on to improve Starlink's performance?
-SpaceX has been working on updates related to quality of service (QoS), satellite software, gateway software, and Wi-Fi updates in the routers.
How does SpaceX plan to handle large user downloads affecting latency on the Starlink network?
-SpaceX plans to handle large user downloads by using active query management (QoS) to prevent such downloads from affecting the latency of other users' activities like gaming or telecommuting.
What is the expected outcome of SpaceX's continuous efforts to reduce latency?
-The expected outcome is a continued improvement in latency rates over the coming weeks and months, with the aim of achieving rates between 30 and 42 milliseconds for many US Starlink users.
Outlines
🚀 SpaceX Starlink Software Updates and Latency Reduction
This paragraph discusses the significant number of software updates (222) that SpaceX's Starlink has rolled out since January 1st. It highlights the impact of these updates on the service's latency, aiming to lower it to meet Elon Musk's goal of under 20 milliseconds. The importance of low latency for gaming and telecommuting is emphasized, and the efforts of engineers to reduce latency by addressing software-based limitations are detailed. The improvements in latency for US and international users are also mentioned, showcasing the progress made in a short period of time.
📉 Starlink Latency Improvements and User Experience
This section delves into the specific improvements made to Starlink's latency, with a reduction of over 30% during peak usage hours in the United States, and up to 35% for international users. It explains how SpaceX monitors latency rates and the steps taken to minimize additional latency caused by software limitations. The introduction of active query management (QoS) to prevent large downloads from affecting other users' latency is also discussed. The paragraph further explores SpaceX's plans to continue reducing latency through software changes, additional ground infrastructure, and satellite launches.
🌐 SpaceX's Strategy for Achieving Sub-20 Millisecond Latency
This paragraph outlines SpaceX's strategy to achieve Elon Musk's target of sub-20 millisecond latency for Starlink. It discusses the company's plans to orbit satellites at a closer distance to Earth, which is expected to save 2 milliseconds in latency. The paragraph also mentions the company's efforts to prioritize software changes and infrastructure improvements, such as additional ground stations and satellite launches, to further reduce latency. The expectation is that these efforts will lead to a round trip time of 4 milliseconds, bringing Starlink closer to its latency goal. Additionally, the paragraph notes the company's rapid growth, with 400,000 new subscribers since December, reaching a total of 2.6 million.
💬 Community Engagement and Future Predictions for Starlink
In the final paragraph, the speaker invites the audience to share their thoughts on the developments with SpaceX Starlink and discusses personal predictions for the service, such as the potential integration of Starlink into vehicles. The speaker also promotes their photography tools and encourages audience engagement by visiting their website. The paragraph concludes with well-wishes for the audience's health and connectivity, signaling the end of the discussion on Starlink's advancements and user experience.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡SpaceX Starlink
💡Latency
💡Software Updates
💡Elon Musk
💡Telecommuting
💡Quality of Service (QoS)
💡Ground Infrastructure
💡Satellite Orbits
💡Subscriber Growth
💡Network Optimization
Highlights
SpaceX's Starlink has rolled out 222 software updates since January 1st, focusing on improving system performance.
The updates aim to reduce latency, which is crucial for gaming, telecommuting, and teleconferencing.
Elon Musk, an avid gamer, has emphasized the importance of low latency for a level playing field in gaming.
Starlink's engineers have been working hard to lower latency, with a goal of under 20 milliseconds.
Fiber connections typically have a latency of 1-10 milliseconds, making them the benchmark for Starlink's improvements.
In the United States, Starlink has reduced mean latency by more than 30% during peak usage hours.
The worst-case peak hour latency (P99) has dropped over 60% from over 150 milliseconds to 65 milliseconds.
International users outside the US have also seen improvements, with mean latency down by up to 25% and worst-case latency reduced up to 35%.
SpaceX monitors latency rates by collecting anonymized measurements from millions of Starlink routers every 15 seconds.
The company is addressing software-based limitations causing latency, such as unneeded processing delays and unoptimized buffers.
Starlink is implementing new algorithms and quality of service (QoS) measures to prioritize important data packets and reduce unnecessary latency.
SpaceX plans to further reduce latency by launching more satellites and adjusting their orbit to a closer distance to Earth.
The company has added 400,000 subscribers since December, growing from 2.2 million to 2.6 million.
In addition to Starlink updates, SpaceX has also performed 193 satellite software updates, 75 Gateway software updates, and 57 WiFi updates.
The continuous updates and improvements show that SpaceX is actively working on enhancing the user experience and service quality.
The presenter predicts that Starlink will achieve a sub-20 milliseconds latency within the next few months.
The presenter uses Speedify to bond multiple internet connections, including Starlink, for live streaming, prioritizing packets for better performance.
The presenter encourages viewers to check out their website for photography tools and support their work.
Transcripts
SpaceX starlink has rolled out
222 software updates since January 1st
has it helped let's talk about
[Music]
it hey everybody welcome back to the
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with your cup of tea maybe a cup of
coffee hanging out talking Tech talking
photo talking video today is a
technology day we're going be talking
about SpaceX starlink and how there was
a ton of software updates as of late
since January 1st they say that there
was
222 just starlink updates there's other
updates that I'll get into in this video
that is a ton of updates a lot of you
have been writing in to me dming me and
they're like Joseph has your starlink
been rebooting a lot what is going on
and I'm like yeah I think so it's been
rebooting a bunch it was like 12 reboots
just in like less than a few days like
what is that so they are the engineers
saying they the engineers are working
hard at making latency lower this is
something that is very very important to
Elon Musk he's talked about this in the
past he is an avid gamer and if you
didn't know it if you do game if you do
firstperson shooters or any type of
gaming latency is very very important so
that things happen on time that you're
not behind everybody else right let's
say you're doing a firstperson shooter
if you aim at someone and you pull the
trigger and now you're like why didn't I
hit them well because they already move
because they're sitting on a fiber
connection and you're sitting on an
extremely high latency connection right
that timing is Mission critical to be
able to have an even playing field well
this also holds true when it comes to
telecommuting teleconferencing anytime
that you're live maybe you're doing a
zoom or you're doing a Google meeting or
anything like that this is very very
important so like I said SpaceX has been
working really hard at this we talked
about it a lot on last night's live
there was a lot of people on the live
last night it was awesome thank you
everyone for being here also I just want
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coming soon before we get into this I
want to read a quick article from p
magazine to you and then give you my
commentary before we get into I want to
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article and like I said I'll give you my
commentary and most importantly I want
to hear from you down below the company
published new details on how SpaceX has
been driving down the latency of
starlink with the goal of one day being
under 20 milliseconds SpaceX says it's
made progress to drive down starlinks
latency by over 30% for us subscribers
citing in improvements implemented over
the past few months on Friday the
company published a report that shed
light on SpaceX starlings ongoing
efforts to one day bring the latency
down to under 20 milliseconds once again
like I said this is Elon Musk goal sub
20
milliseconds I think that's awesome keep
in mind fiber is sitting anywhere from
about 1 millisecond to about 10
milliseconds so if we can get sub20
SpaceX will get really really close to
being on par with like cable companies
cable companies on average are about 13
milliseconds 15 20 right around there so
we'll see if that ends up happening I
think that he can do it quote in the
United States alone we reduce the mean
latency by more than 30% from 48.5
milliseconds to 33 milliseconds during
the hours of peak usage that's very
important worst case peak hour latency
or P99 which is like the 90 9th
percentile has dropped over 60% from
over 150 milliseconds down to 65
milliseconds that's massive the latency
has also improved for users outside of
the US with a mean latency down by up to
25% in the worst case latency reduced up
to 35% so even 25 or 35% overseas that
is still a lot in a short period of time
remember this is since January that's
only a couple months that's pretty damn
good it continues driving down the
latency is important to help online
gaming and video calls run smoothly on
the starlink network the company has
been monitoring the latency rates by
collecting anonymized measurements from
millions of starlink routers every 15
seconds that's a ton of data SpaceX adds
that the internet data over starlink
needs about 10 milliseconds to make a
round trip from the user's Wi-Fi router
up to the orbiting satellite and then go
to the ground station now they're just
guesstimating just coming up with this
10 milliseconds but I really believe
that it's eight anyways it continues
however the starlink network can suffer
from additional latency from the
software based limitations such as quote
unneeded processing delays unoptimized
buffers and unnecessary packet drops
that Force retries that's basically like
CRC eras that could end up being a
problem and obviously slowing things
down now they have a picture of how the
data goes from your home up to a
satellite back down to a ground station
then over to your point of presence or
your knock or your network operations
center and then finally out to the webs
now what's interesting here is and I
don't know if this is a slip up but look
at that image doesn't this look kind of
interesting and the reason I say this is
remember like a couple of video agos I
said listen my prediction is that we
will see starlink on cars right I said
that all Teslas will have starlink built
into the roof and I think that other
cars are going to start getting small
little dish like literally 8 in tiny
starlink dish on the top of the cars
remember I said that well look at this
image is that like a
oops look at that car with starlink
strapped to the top of it it's
completely flat it looks like a I don't
know like a sunroof but it's a
starlink this is an image right from
SpaceX I don't know if that is an
accident or what but that bodess well
for my prediction that we're going to
see starlink on cars I'm telling you we
will see it it'll be ubiquit every car
is going to have starlink on it this is
my prediction anyways I digress as I
always do in response the company has
been working on ironing out
inefficiencies with new algorithms this
includes the addition of quote active
query management or what I call qos
right quality of service I'll get into
that in just a second which can prevent
a large user download on a starlink
installation from affecting the latency
of another user's computer while they're
gaming or maybe while they're
telecommuting or where they're going
through some type of conference or
meeting or Google meeting or Zoom or
whatever right I'll tell you about that
in just a second quote over the past
several months monitoring and metrics
have also been added across the network
to measure latency on every subsystem
down to the millisecond the company
added we have rigorously tuned our
algorithm to prefer pass with low
latency no matter how small the
difference and to remove all sources of
unnecessary and non-physical latency so
this is what is very important like I
said qos they are using AI or their
algorithms to figure out what data is
important and what is not important what
is going to produce too much latency and
what won't and which path is better to
take the data right it is doing this
manipulation and then it's also thinking
about now not on a local level but on a
external level as an ISP level it's
thinking about what data is going to
affect what you're doing so that if you
are once again sitting there gaming and
now someone else on the network is
downloading a massive file it says hey
let's slow down that download so that
this person that's gaming is not going
to be affected same thing holds true as
if you're doing a zoom meeting or some
type of Google meeting or whatever it is
right it's going to prioritize certain
applications or certain things certain
data packets down to the packet level
not session level I'm not going to get
into all of that but packet level is so
damn important in comparison to session
level anyways it continues according to
the company's official map the results
are causing many US starlink users to
experience latency rates between 30
millisecs in 42 milliseconds to bring
the rates down further SpaceX says this
you can expect latency to continue to
improve over the coming weeks and months
as we prioritize software changes build
additional ground infrastructure ground
stations okay maybe more Pops we get
into that in a second and launch more
satellites another tactic also involves
orbiting the satellites at a closer
distance to Earth we just talked about
that yesterday right they're going to
move their satellites from 530 km down
to 330 km that is going to save 2
milliseconds so once again I was saying
that we're probably at about 8
milliseconds right now it's going to get
down to six and if we do take that 2
milliseconds by lowering those
satellites into consideration they will
most likely be able to get to a 4
millisecond round trip from your dish to
the satellite and back four milliseconds
that will definitely get Elon Musk to
his magical sub 20 Mill seconds what
he's looking for when it comes to
latency I think it will happen they
finalized with the company reported that
they added an additional
400,000 subscribers since December so
they went from 2.2 million to 2.6
million subscribers that is unbelievable
and they show the map and whatnot here
so the things that we need to take into
consideration or in order to remember is
they are making these changes and
they're doing these updates now I listed
all of the updates that they're doing
and the 222 starlink updates they have
done since January is a lot but they
also added that they've done
193 satellite software updates 75
Gateway software updates those are in
the point of presence or in those ground
stations and then finally 57 WiFi
updates that's Wi-Fi right in the router
that you're using itself so it is a
major major feat that's going on behind
the scenes these Engineers are working
Contin continuously once again what they
are working on is basically qos or
quality of service but on an ISP level
and I think this is awesome because
right now we're using it when we Bond
all of our internet connections AT&T
which sucks AT&T starlink as well as
T-Mobile I Bond all three of them
together when I go live and I use
speedify to do it and what speedify does
is it decides what is important what
package are important not just a session
but what packets are important and if
I'm streaming it's going to prioritize
those packets if I'm gaming it's going
to prioritize those packets matter of
fact they gave us a promo code if you go
to J christina.
cspe all right
jr.com you'll get a discount from those
people too they're awesome I use them
all the time anyway so this is very
important I love to see that they're
actually doing what we would do in a
network Operation Center as a system
administrator that I am sitting on a
fiber switch for example doing all that
qos they are doing it for us in all of
the different softwares that they have
access to the wifi the router itself the
actual software that is in the
satellites everything has been updated
hundreds of updates since January
they're not sitting on their Laurels
like most isps are they're like yeah
whatever they're not doing that they're
trying trying to continuously get better
and like I said we're going to see 4
milliseconds round trip okay mark my
words four milliseconds round trip and
then when you add on the ground latency
of your ground station as well as the
point of presence your pops moving the
data around we will definitely see sub
20 milliseconds with SpaceX Starling I
promise you now will it happen next
month I don't know but within I would
say three months 4 months we should be
able to see Sub sub 20 milliseconds what
Elon Musk goal is anyways guys I want to
know your thoughts what do you think do
you think that this is awesome like me
or do you think it's kind of like
whatever down below let's have this
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