Country star Blake Shelton needs help ahead of his wedding to pop star Gwen Stefani, so he’s turning to an unlikely source: Tesla CEO and SpaceX chief designer Elon Musk.
“Dear @elonmusk & @SpaceX…,” Shelton tweeted Saturday. “My name is Blake & I will soon be getting married. I live in Oklahoma located specifically ‘In the middle of no where’ & I’m afraid when my fiancé, Gwen, realizes that I have ZERO internet it could be a deal breaker!”
“Can I PLEASE get on the Starlink Internet experimental list or whatever?!!” Shelton added. “Please!!!!! Help!!! @elonmusk @SpaceX.”
Starlink Aims to Provide Internet to Broadband Deserts
Starlink is Musk’s attempt to provide Internet service to almost anyone on Earth via a network of private satellites orbiting the planet. And that’s why Blake Shelton is tweeting at him.
The project was in development for years within SpaceX, CNet reports. Late last year, Starlink got $885.5 million in grants from the Federal Communications Commission, and now the project appears to be speeding up.
By this month, Starlink had 1,625 satellites orbiting the Earth, and it had signed up more than 10,000 customers. The company has prioritized service to people without access to high-speed Internet.
For now, Starlink is only available in the northwest U.S. and nearby areas of Canada as well as a few other countries. Users in those areas have to set up a small satellite dish and download the Starlink app on their phones. Once set up, for $99 a month, Starlink offers data speeds of 50 to 150 megabits per second. That isn’t as fast as a fiber connection, but it’s better than nothing.
To expand Starlink’s coverage area, Musk will have to launch more satellites. He has been doing that this year from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida with the landable and relaunchable Falcon 9 orbital rocket.
Unfortunately for Shelton, there may be many satellite launches to go before Starlink covers all of Oklahoma as well.
Blake Shelton Is Getting Hitched
Shelton and his fellow “The Voice” coach Gwen Stefani got engaged last autumn. The couple had been dating since 2015. They met on “The Voice” and bonded over their respective divorce processes, which were taking place in tandem.
The couple made their engagement Instagram official in October, posting the same picture of the two of them kissing while Stefani flashed her ring at the camera.
“@blakeshelton yes please!” Stefani wrote.
“Hey @gwenstefani thanks for saving my 2020… And the rest of my life.” Shelton wrote. “I love you. I heard a YES!”
“They both feel they’ve found their true partner in life and plan to be together forever,” a source told People magazine.
Shelton told the “Today” show recently that the couple will be getting married “hopefully this summer.” He reportedly doesn’t want to wait until he has to be back in production for “The Voice.” Meanwhile, it looks like the couple will have their pick of high-profile musical acts for the ceremony.
