CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — Starlink, the service that makes the lines of lights in the night sky that you may have seen, has announced that it has expanded its services nationwide, including most of West Virginia.
According to an X post made by Starlink, the service is now available nationwide in the U.S., including most of West Virginia. However, there is a significant “dead zone” when it comes to service that some 12 News viewers may find irritating if they wish to use the service.
According to Starlink’s website, service will not be available inside the National Radio Quiet Zone that surrounds Green Bank, WV and includes much of the Monongahela National Forest. This dead zone is the largest on the continent, excluding bodies of water, and includes parts in north central West Virginia such as Elkins and Snowshoe.
Starlink is a division of SpaceX and provides high-speed broadband internet access to its users all around the world via several thousand satellites in Earth’s orbit. According to Space.com, there are 4,519 Starlink satellites in Earth’s orbit as of July 2023, 4,487 of which are operational.
These satellites are normally not available to the naked eye, but can sometimes be seen as a line of lights moving across the sky. This is caused by light from the sun reflecting off of the satellites and down onto the Earth, just like the moon.
You can see Starlink’s availability map by clicking here.
