Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

SpaceX unveils Starlink internet service for moving vehicles

Trevor Mogg
By

SpaceX is about to bring its Starlink internet service to moving vehicles.

That’s right, folks, from December 2022 you‘ll be able to hook up to its high-speed, low-latency internet service while motoring along a highway in the remotest of spots.

Recommended Videos

Enjoy high-speed, low-latency internet while on the move! Now accepting orders for the flat high-performance Starlink, which provides connectivity while in motion on land → https://t.co/tWDPs3JDWK pic.twitter.com/z2HNxaizdW

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 25, 2022

Related

SpaceX launched its Starlink-for-RVs service in May, offering internet access to vehicles, though they had to be parked at the time of use.

Wednesday’s announcement takes the RV service a step further, enabling connections while the vehicle is in motion.

Take note, though, the service doesn’t come cheap.

Whereas Starlink for stationary vehicles costs $599 for the standard satellite dish, the RV-in-motion service requires a flat high-performance Starlink dish costing $2,500. The monthly fee comes in at $135.

“With a wide field of view and enhanced GPS capabilities, the flat high- performance Starlink can connect to more satellites, allowing for consistent connectivity on the go,” SpaceX explains on its website.

It says the hardware is designed for permanent installation on a vehicle and promises that it’s “resilient in harsh environments.”

Starlink for vehicles in motion is available for order and use in select markets, with the first deliveries going out in just a couple of months from now.

Starlink operates via small satellites launched by SpaceX to low-Earth orbit. More than 2,000 of the satellites are currently in space, with more being deployed all the time. As of May 2022, Starlink is serving more than 400,000 customers in 36 countries.

Since launching its standard Starlink service for home users as a beta in 2020, SpaceX has been working to expand it to more sectors. Besides the portable RV service that launched earlier this year, it has also unveiled Starlink for business users, Starlink Maritime for ships, and Starlink Aviation for airplanes, with Royal Caribbean and Hawaiian Airlines among early customers.

SpaceX chief Elon Musk has said that Starlink has the potential to generate up to $50 billion in annual revenue if it’s able to grab even just a few percent of the global telecommunications market in the coming years.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Trevor Mogg
Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
SpaceX shares awesome rocket imagery from Starship flight
A view of Earth captured from SpaceX's Starship spacecraft.

SpaceX’s third Starship test flight last Thursday was its best yet, far exceeding the first two missions, which took place last year and ended in huge fireballs just a few minutes in.

This time, the Starship -- comprising the first-stage Super Heavy booster and upper-stage Starship spacecraft -- kept on flying, with both parts reaching their destination points before breaking up on descent.

Read more
Watch SpaceX’s Starship burn brightly as it hurtles toward Earth
SpaceX's Starship reentering Earth's atmosphere.

SpaceX surprised a lot of people on Thursday morning when its mighty Starship rocket managed not to blow up seconds after liftoff.

The Starship -- comprising the first-stage Super Heavy booster and upper-stage Starship spacecraft -- enjoyed its most successful test flight yet following two short-lived missions in April and November last year.

Read more
SpaceX’s Starship reaches orbit on third test flight
spacex starship third test flight screenshot 2024 03 14 143605

SpaceX's mighty Starship rocket has made it into space on its third test flight. The rocket, launched at 9:25 a.m. ET today, March 14, took to the skies over the Starbase launch facility in Boca Chica, Texas, and made it to orbit but was lost before the planned splashdown in the India Ocean.

The vehicle consists of the lower section, the Super Heavy booster, and the upper section, the Starship or ship. The two were stacked together ahead of today's flight and achieved separation a few minutes after launch. This tricky maneuver involves cutting off most of the booster's 33 Raptor engines and disengaging clamps connecting the booster to the ship. The ship then fires its own engines to head onward into orbit.

Read more