What Is Starlink? A Plain-English Guide

Starlink is a satellite internet service built and operated by SpaceX. Instead of relying on a handful of large satellites parked far above the equator, Starlink uses a large constellation of small satellites flying in low Earth orbit (LEO), a few hundred kilometres up.

Why so many satellites?

Because the satellites orbit so close to Earth, each one only covers a small patch of the planet at any moment, and it moves quickly across the sky. To provide continuous coverage, Starlink needs thousands of satellites working together so that there is always at least one overhead wherever you are.

This is the opposite trade-off from traditional geostationary satellite internet: closer satellites mean far lower latency, but you need many more of them.

Why latency is lower

Signals travel at the speed of light, so distance matters. A geostationary satellite sits about 35,786 km above Earth, which adds a noticeable delay. Starlink satellites orbit around 550 km up, cutting the round-trip distance dramatically and bringing latency down to levels usable for video calls and gaming.

Track it yourself

Every Starlink satellite broadcasts predictable orbital data. On TrackStarlink you can watch the whole constellation move in real time on the 3D globe, open any individual satellite to see its live position, or check the Coverage page to see which satellites are above your own city right now.