Q: What is Starlink?

Starlink is a satellite internet project run by billionaire Elon Musk's space company SpaceX. It uses satellites to provide internet access to places that are otherwise cut off from the outside world. 

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine's deputy prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov personally appealed to Musk to provide Starlink internet to the country. Starlink is now being used in Ukraine amid fears that Russian forces may destroy Ukraine's existing communications infrastructure. 

Q: How does it work?

Starlink internet works by beaming broadcast signals down to specialised receivers on Earth via a network of low-orbiting satellites. 

Instead of relying on underground fibre-optic cables, Starlink users plug in a terminal on the roof of their building or in a place with clear access to the sky. The terminal then automatically connects to the nearest Starlink satellite.

Starlink's first prototype satellites, TinTinA and TinTinB, were launched into orbit in 2018. Today, there are more than 2,000 Starlink satellites in the sky. 

Q: Why is internet access so important in Ukraine?

The internet is vital for coordinating Ukraine's resistance movement. It connects ordinary people to their families inside and outside of Ukraine, journalists to international broadcasters and President Zelensky and his government to the outside world. 

It is likely that most of Ukraine's Starlink terminals, which normally cost £495 or $499, will be used by government officials rather than ordinary Ukrainians. But even if only a select group of people can use the devices, "it's better than having a total absence of information," says one cyber-security expert. 

Q: Where else is Starlink used?

Today, more than 100,000 Starlink terminals have been sold to customers in 14 countries. In December 2020, Starlink arrived in Pikangikum, a remote indigineous community in Canada. Pikangikum is only accessible by plane in the summer, or by driving over a frozen lake in the winter. Now, residents can access education, healthcare and businesses online.

In February, Starlink restored internet to villages in TongaAn archipelago of islands and Polynesian kingdom in the South Pacific.  after a volcanic eruption and tsunami destroyed a vital undersea cable. 

Q: Is Starlink controversial?

Yes! Spaceflight safety experts worry that the low-orbiting satellites are a collision hazard while astronomers fear the bright objects will interfere with observations of the night sky. 

Meanwhile, nobody knows what effect the burning up of old satellites in Earth's atmosphere will have on the planet. 

Q: What is next for Starlink?

More Starlink terminals are due to arrive in Ukraine this week. But in the long term, SpaceX hopes that Starlink sales will help to fund a base for humans on Mars. One day, they may even provide internet access to the red planet. 

"I don't think the people who go to Mars are going to be satisfied with some terrible, old-fashioned radios," says SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell. "They'll want their iPhones or Androids on Mars." 

Tonga - An archipelago of islands and Polynesian kingdom in the South Pacific.