T-Mobile and SpaceX announce plan to have phones work with Starlink satellites

[Old Crow]

It will be interesting to see how this plays out....

T-Mobile and SpaceX Starlink say your 5G phone will connect to satellites next year

Note: Apple has also been saying for some time that they are working on a project to allow iPhones to send short text messages via satellite (in emergencies).

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Yes this will be interesting to see how it plays out.
Frank

 

[buckland]

That will be very cool. (hope those satellites don't screw with the stars but I'd love the coverage!)

 

[CPT Davenport]

That will be very cool. (hope those satellites don't screw with the stars but I'd love the coverage!)

I was at a primitive campsite along the American river last month with my oldest daughter. Stars were amazing! We both looked up and had to do a double take. I said to her " have I had too many beers, or is that a UFO!?" She saw the same thing! it looked like a train of lights in the sky. Neither one of us had ever seen anything like it. I was 100% convinced we were witnessing a spaceship! When we got back into cell range, I Googled train of lights in the sky, and Starlink/SpaceX was at the top. Went to images, and sure enough that was it.

CRAZY!

 

[kmcintyre]

It will be interesting to see how this plays out....

T-Mobile and SpaceX Starlink say your 5G phone will connect to satellites next year

Note: Apple has also been saying for some time that they are working on a project to allow iPhones to send short text messages via satellite (in emergencies).

I guess I'll believe it when I see it and the price is reasonable. Next year probably means 3 years though and if it's only on t-mobile that might not work for me and where I live (coverage isn't great).

 

[Old Crow]

I was at a primitive campsite along the American river last month with my oldest daughter. Stars were amazing! We both looked up and had to do a double take. I said to her " have I had too many beers, or is that a UFO!?" She saw the same thing! it looked like a train of lights in the sky. Neither one of us had ever seen anything like it. I was 100% convinced we were witnessing a spaceship! When we got back into cell range, I Googled train of lights in the sky, and Starlink/SpaceX was at the top. Went to images, and sure enough that was it.

CRAZY!

That's definitely an item to add to my Bucket List! I bet that was both fascinating and scary at the same time given you had no idea what they were.

I see there are Starlink track predictors (or trackers) which can be used to find where/when I might see them....

Here's one that seems pretty straightforward....
James dot Darpinian dot com (James Darpinian is the programmer of this one)

Another fairly easy one (once you figure out how to put in coordinates).
Heavens Above

Also: As this article explains, satellite trains are only there for a few days. The satellites separate and dim as they rise from their initial 'parking orbit' to their assigned altitude...
Video: Starlink satellite train passes over (from EarthSky dot org)

 

[smlobx]

I was at a primitive campsite along the American river last month with my oldest daughter. Stars were amazing! We both looked up and had to do a double take. I said to her " have I had too many beers, or is that a UFO!?" She saw the same thing! it looked like a train of lights in the sky. Neither one of us had ever seen anything like it. I was 100% convinced we were witnessing a spaceship! When we got back into cell range, I Googled train of lights in the sky, and Starlink/SpaceX was at the top. Went to images, and sure enough that was it.

CRAZY!

We saw the exact same thing !! We were camping in Cape Brenton Highlands NP in Nova Scotia and saw a string of brightly colored beads and someone finally googled it the next morning when we got in cell range. I think we saw ours around August 24th.

 

[57Pan]

The wife and I have seen this twice now, once out camping last summer, and once this summer sitting out in our hot tub. We live in SW Washington.

 

[rubberlegs]

IOS 18, perhaps arriving this fall, will have satellite texting for iPhone 14 and up. I wonder if it will be expensive, compared to the InReach device we are now using.
Send messages via satellite in iOS 18 - but only with these iPhones

 

[smlobx]

Interesting article rubberlegs. I’m wondering how Apple, or anyone else, is going to connect with satellites. Do they already have satellites up in low orbit? I haven’t heard anything about that…

 

[dennis 221]

Anything for $$$$$$$

 

[Bobbybrown111]

I guess it would be cool to send messages via satellite