Elon Musk to launch Starlink satellite in Indonesia on Sunday

Billionaire Elon Musk wouldbe visitingIndonesia to launch SpaceX'ssatellite unit Starlink on Sunday, the news agency Reuters reported on Thursday (May 16), citingtwo cabinet ministers. One of the ministers Luhut Pandjaitan told Reuters that Musk would launch Starlink in Baliin the presence ofIndonesian PresidentJoko Widodo.

Thiswould be Musk's first in-person visit to the Asian country.Communications Minister Budi Arie Setiadi told the news agency that the Starlink launch wouldbe heldat a clinic in Bali's capitalDenpasar, whereMuskwas scheduledto sign an agreement on connectivity for the health sector.

Musk would also be addressingthe World Water Forum in Bali.

Starlink expected to provide services in remoteareas

Earlier in May,Starlink secureda permitto commercially offer its internet services in Indonesia.Starlink will cooperate with local network access providersandIndonesia expects the firm to provide internet services to its remote areas.

Also watch |Elon Musk reacts to equal representation act bill, says 'going to be even more crazy'

Starlink is the world's first and largest satellite constellation using a low Earth orbit to deliver broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, video calls and more. "Leveraging advanced satellites and user hardware coupled with our deep experience with both spacecraft and on-orbit operations, Starlink delivers high-speed, low-latency internet to usersall over the world," SpaceX's websitestates.

How many countries currently use Starlink

Currently, Starlink is available in France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, the United Kingdom (UK), Canada, the United States (US), Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brazil, and Chile.

SpaceX states that each satellite features a compact, flat-panel design that minimises volume, allowing for a dense launch stack to take full advantage of the launch capabilities of the Falcon 9 rocket.

(With inputs from agencies)