SpaceX says most of its internet satellites are fully functional

Next on SpaceX's checklist is to actually use the satellites to access the internet and test how well the network works. The company said on Friday that it will test "latency and capacity by streaming videos and playing some high bandwidth video tapes."

SpaceX hopes its satellite internet project, called Starlink, will one day grow to include thousands of satellites and offer coverage all over the world.

Many questions about the project remain unanswered: namely, whether SpaceX can spend billions to develop the Starlink constellation and still offer attractive prices to consumers and whether Starlink's broadband will actually be as fast and reliable as other internet services. Right now, the internet is mainly delivered via wireless cell towers or cables routed to your home or office.

On Friday, SpaceX said it would test the first song Starlink satellites using terrestrial antennas in North America. Finally, the company will set up as many as 1 million earth stations in place that will connect to the satellite network, according to a document that the company sent to US regulators.

Of the 60 satellites launched in May, only three failed and could not communicate with the ground, a SpaceX spokesman said Friday . These units will be left to float around without a hitch until the Earth's gravity can slowly pull them out of orbit, which can take as long as five years.

Two other satellites will be directed to continue diving back to earth to "simulate an end to the disposal of life." SpaceX wants its functioning satellites to save enough fuel for the journey home after completing their business in space, and this pair of satellites will test the method to do so. The purpose of taking satellites out of orbit is part of SpaceX's plan to make sure that satellites do not contribute to space frame problems.