SpaceX Announces Starlink Aviation Service for Planes
SpaceX is launching Starlink Aviation, a new service that will make its satellite internet network available on planes. “With Starlink, passengers will be able to access high-speed, low-latency internet from the moment they walk on their plane,” the company tweeted on October 18.
Starlink Aviation
In June 2022, the FCC gave SpaceX authorization to begin selling Starlink terminals– the receiver tools for its satellite-based internet– that work on moving vehicles. The company then announced Starlink Maritime for boats, and it’s currently launching Starlink Aviation for airplanes.
“Internet in airplanes will feel same as if you were accessing Internet at home!”
This service will deliver internet speeds up to 350 megabits per second (Mbps) per plane while it flies anywhere in the globe, according to SpaceX. Also, the best in-flight Wi-fi presently available typically tops out at 100 Mbps, and some carriers only provide 9.8 Mbps.
At the speeds SpaceX offers, every passenger on a plane needs to be able to take video calls, play games, and more simultaneously.
“Internet in airplanes will feel same as if you were accessing Internet at home!” tweeted SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
SpaceX plans to start hardware deliveries in mid-2023.
The information
A Starlink Aviation subscription costs between $12,500 and $25,000 monthly, depending on an airline’s needs, plus a one-time hardware fee of $150,000. Customers will have to pay someone to install the system or do it themselves, as SpaceX does not provide that service.
SpaceX plans to begin hardware deliveries in mid-2023 and is currently taking reservations for $5,000. There are no long-term contracts or information limits for Starlink Aviation, and the hardware is under warranty for as long as a customer subscribes to the service.
The big picture
Before a Starlink terminal can be installed on a plane, the airplane’s proprietor or operator will need to obtain a supplemental kind certificate from the FAA– this grants permission to modify the plane from its original design.
All of the models SpaceX states are presently in the process of being certified for Starlink Aviation are private or regional planes. Still, large commercial planes could be coming soon.
“Passengers and customers want a fantastic experience that [geostationary] systems simply can not offer”.
In April, Hawaiian Airlines announced that it would start offering cost-free Starlink WiFi on some flights beginning in 2023, and in June, Jonathan Hofeller, Starlink’s VP of commercial sales, said SpaceX was working on agreements with other airlines.
“All in all, travelers and customers desire a fantastic experience that [geostationary] systems simply can not provide,” he told attendees at the Connected Aviation Intelligence Summit.
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