Starlink has more than 2,000 tiny satellites orbiting just a few hundred kilometers above Earth, providing internet access to users below.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk tweeted “approaching 100 Starlinks active in Iran” on Monday(opens in new tab) (Dec. 26) in response to a tweet showing women walking outdoors in Iran with their hair uncovered, which is technically forbidden under the country’s restrictive regime.

Musk, who is also the owner of Twitter, pledged in September to activate Starlink in Iran “to advance internet freedom and the free flow of information” to Iranians, according to Reuters(opens in new tab). There are approximately 3,300 operational Starlinks in orbit and SpaceX is preparing to boost service with a more powerful “Gen2” set that could launch before 2022 concludes.

“The satellite-based broadband service could help Iranians circumvent the government’s restrictions on accessing the Internet and certain social media platforms,” Reuters added in the report on Monday.

According to space/reuters