The Starlink satellite system launched by entrepreneur Elon Musk may one day connect the entire earth to tens of thousands of satellites, but it will have to handle one unexpected issue first: cats’ interference.
Elon Musk’s business, which aims to build a universal Internet access network, has discovered an operational flaw in the form of the domestic house cat.
Aaron Taylor, a Starlink user, revealed the information on his Twitter profile when posted about issues that he was having with his Starlink dish.
It all started when his internet connection began to falter. Thus, Aaron decided to go outside to inspect the Starlink dish in his garden. Once he reached the circular device, Aaron instantly realized what was wrong.
A cat invasion
The dish had been invaded by numerous cats who had clearly voted it the best resting spot in the neighborhood and were now having a cuddle puddle on the dish. As it turns out, the Starlink dish provided a significant advantage for those felines: heat.
Indeed, the dish has an integrated heating system and this warm plate was an instant hit for these felines forced to put their delicate paw pads on the snow-covered ground.
Aaron Taylor humorously posted on Twitter:
He added, however, that these cats were there by choice rather than necessity because “they have a warm cat house with water and food.”
He went on:
“However, around -25 degrees Celsius, they chose to sit on the Starlink dish. They return home after the sun sets.”
Aaron Taylor claims that the cats’ fascination with his dish has disrupted movie streaming and slowed Internet speeds. He also stated that he intends to relocate it to a higher elevation so that the neighborhood’s kitties can no longer nap in it.
The Starlink project
Musk’s Starlink project intends to provide internet access to nearly everyone on the planet via an expanding constellation of private satellites in space.
In 2020, Starlink received about $885.5 million in funding from the Federal Communications Commission, according to Cnet.com. After three years of successful launches, the project passed the milestone of deploying one thousand satellites into orbit in January this year.
While Starlink is making cats happy, it has enraged China. On December 28th, Beijing accused the US of posing a “severe threat” to the safety of its astronauts after two satellites owned by entrepreneur Elon Musk narrowly avoided crashing with the space station.
The future of Starlink remains unknown, but it is certain that the cats in this neighborhood are supporters of the innovative technology.