Musk trickles out SpaceX Starlink network details via Twitter

SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk dropped some details on the internals of the Starlink low earth orbit (LEO) satellite network a couple days ago in response to a tweet by @andrestalz.

Staltz, a self-described "open source hacker" based in Finland, said Starlink "could be a great opportunity for NAT-less peer-to-peer connections within Starlink only."

Musk replied connections within the network "will be simpler than IPv6 and have tiny packet overhead. Definitely peer-to-peer."  A follow-up tweet to another user said there will be end-to-end encryption "encoded at firmware level. Unlikely to be hacked w current computing tech." If it is "and we learn about it," said Musk, a crypto fix "will go out immediately via network-wide firmware update."

Since SpaceX will own and operate the Starlink constellation, it can use customized protocols within its network and satellites. Standard Internet IPv6 protocols would presumably sit on "top" at a higher layer where the network interfaces with the rest of the world.