Starlink

Starlink is a telecommunications company owned by the American spaceflight company SpaceX. It provides internet service in about 160 countries and territories. It also hopes to offer mobile broadband all over the world. This article is about the SpaceX satellite internet service. For other uses, see [Starlink (disambiguation)](/wiki/Starlink_(disambiguation).

SpaceX began launching Starlink satellites in 2019. As of June 2026, the network had about 10,413 satellites, and 10,397 of them were working. They orbit in low Earth orbit (LEO), which is close to the Earth. They send signals to user devices and to ground stations. The ground stations connect the satellites to the internet on the ground. Starlink also offers in-flight internet access for many airlines. It makes up about 75% of all active satellites in Earth orbit that can move and steer themselves. As of June 2026, it had more than 12 million subscribers.

In May 2018, SpaceX estimated that building and launching the network would cost at least US$10 billion. By the end of 2025, Starlink had become SpaceX's largest business. It earned $11.4 billion in revenue and $4.4 billion in operating income.

Starlink is used for more than home and travel internet. Governments and militaries also use it for communication, including in the Russo-Ukrainian war. Some astronomers have criticized its large group of satellites. They say the satellites add to light pollution and make it more crowded in orbit.

History

Ideas for groups of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites began in the mid-1980s as part of the United States Strategic Defense Initiative. This led to Brilliant Pebbles, a plan to place weapons in low orbit that could quickly hit ballistic missiles. In the 1990s, scientists wanted faster, low-latency communication. This led to companies such as Celestri, Iridium, and Globalstar, which used fewer than 100 satellites. Teledesic planned an "Internet in the Sky" with 840 satellites. Iridium and Globalstar went bankrupt, and Teledesic closed after money problems following the dot-com bubble burst. In 2004, SpaceX bought a 10% share in Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL). It was sold back to EADS Astrium in 2008. In 2014, Elon Musk and Greg Wyler talked about a group of satellites called WorldVu, but those talks ended in June 2014. SpaceX then filed with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) through the Norwegian Communications Authority under the name STEAM. In a 2016 application to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), SpaceX confirmed the connection. The name Starlink was inspired by the novel The Fault in Our Stars.

Starlink was announced in January 2015, when a satellite development facility opened in Redmond, Washington. Musk said many people wanted low-cost internet. He said Starlink would aim to carry bandwidth for up to 50% of backhaul traffic and up to 10% of local internet traffic in crowded cities. He also said money from satellite internet would help pay for SpaceX's Mars plans. The company's work also grew at a research and development space in Irvine, California. This work included signal processing, radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), and application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) work. In November 2016, SpaceX asked the FCC for a "non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite system in the fixed-satellite service using the Ku- and Ka- frequency bands." The FCC gave a license in September 2017. SpaceX also planned to deal with space debris. At the end of their lives, satellites would be moved to a safe orbit, in a process called de-orbit. In March 2018, the FCC approved the first 4,425 satellites. It also supported a request from NASA for even safer de-orbiting. The first 60 working satellites launched on May 24, 2019. By October 2020, a wider public beta test had started, and testers reported speeds over 150 Mbit/s. Earlier, invited testers had to sign non-disclosure agreements. Pre-orders opened in the United States and Canada in early 2021. In 2022, the FCC canceled $885.5 million in RDOF subsidies. That same year, SpaceX announced the Starlink Business service. Production was slowed by the 2020–2023 global chip shortage. In December 2022, the FCC approved 7,500 second-generation satellites in orbital shells at a set altitude. SpaceX stopped planning certain V-band satellites. Later designs used a smaller form factor, and the larger satellites needed Starship to launch. In November 2024, SpaceX proposed a Mars network called "Marslink." Some people also raised concerns about politics. In 2025, a White House computer terminal set up by DOGE raised questions about conflict of interest. There was also a protest in the U.K. over Musk's involvement in politics.

In 2024, Brazil's telecom regulator Anatel threatened to punish Starlink. This happened after Brazil's top court supported a ban on X. A judge, Alexandre de Moraes, also froze Starlink's accounts. In 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk had been in regular contact with Vladimir Putin since late 2022. Also in 2024, SpaceX asked its Taiwanese suppliers to move production abroad. This upset people in Taiwan. Starting in July 2024, SpaceX ran tests with the Ministry of National Defense in Romania and ANCOM. The tests looked at whether a rule set by the International Telecommunication Union in the 1990s could be changed. In February 2025, Starlink was part of an investigation by USAID. In May 2025, after new tariffs were announced, the State Department asked countries to approve American satellite companies, including Starlink.

Services

Starlink sends internet from satellites to remote areas. It also competes with other internet providers in towns and cities. It offers mobile service for recreational vehicles, ships, and aircraft. The speed and delay depend on how busy the network is, the location, and the service plan. Starlink's satellites orbit close to Earth, so delays are usually shorter than with older satellite internet. Prices differ by country and plan. Since 2023, non-business users have had a monthly 1 TB data cap. Starlink also reportedly slowed service for some users after 5 TB of use in September 2026. A subscriber is one active service line, which is usually one internet account linked to one terminal, even if several people use it.

Starlink also offers direct-to-cell service. This connects to ordinary mobile phones without special equipment. The service has limited capacity. In the United States, T-Mobile US and SpaceX launched the first version, starting with SMS text messages. Other companies have also made agreements, including Rogers Communications in Canada, One NZ in New Zealand, Optus in Australia, and Kyivstar in Ukraine. In December 2022, SpaceX announced Starshield, a separate Starlink-based service for government and military customers, including the U.S. Department of Defense.

Main article: SpaceX Starshield

Applications

SpaceX also designs, builds, and launches custom military satellites based on versions of the Starlink satellite bus. Its largest known customer is the Space Development Agency, which works on missile defense using low-cost low Earth orbit satellites. In 2020, SpaceX received a first dual-use contract worth $150 million. Its first satellites launched in April 2023 as part of the National Defense Space Architecture of the U.S. Space Force. That year, SpaceX also hired retired general Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, who had earlier spoken to the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services about using machine learning and artificial intelligence. Starlink has been tested for military communication by the Air Force Research Laboratory on a Beechcraft C-12 Huron, by the United States Air Force on an AC-130 Gunship, and in 2020 with a connection to the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. Some experts say its narrow beams make it harder to jam than satellites in higher orbits. In 2022, Chinese military researchers wrote about what to do if Starlink threatened national security, pointing to Starlink military capabilities. Russian officials, including Dmitry Rogozin, criticized it. After Ukraine used Starlink to guide drones and missiles toward targets in Russia, Russia developed a system called Volna Kupol Garant to temporarily block Starlink signals. Starlink was turned on during the Russian invasion of Ukraine after the Ukrainian government asked for it. Ukraine's military and government quickly came to depend on it for Internet access. It is used for combat drones, naval drones, and coordinating artillery. The United States Department of Defense later signed a contract to pay for its use in Ukraine.

After the Gaza war began in October 2023, users asked Elon Musk on X (formerly Twitter) to turn on Starlink there. Musk said it would be provided for aid groups in Gaza, but later said it would only be provided with the approval of Israel's government. The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime reported that jihadist groups such as Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin and Islamic State – West Africa Province used a hidden supply chain to get Starlink devices. This made it harder for governments to find out their plans. In response, Niger and Chad moved to make Starlink legal and to require devices to be registered. Starlink has also been used by the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) and the armed forces of Mali. It helped the FLA keep communication secure during the Battle of Tinzaouaten (2024). During the 2026 Iran conflict, SpaceX and the Pentagon disagreed about the price of Starlink services used with LUCAS drones. The Pentagon later agreed to pay higher prices. Brazilian organized criminal groups made heavy use of Starlink in remote parts of the Amazon rainforest in 2023. In February 2025, Wired and the BBC reported that Starlink was a key way for scam centers in Southeast Asia to get online. Wired found more than one hundred devices at KK Park in Myanmar. In October 2025, SpaceX said that at least 2,500 devices used in Myanmar scam centers had been cut off.

In Iran, Elon Musk announced in 2022 that Starlink was turned on after the Iranian government blocked the internet during anti-government protests. During the internet blackout amid the 2025–2026 Iranian protests, Starlink was turned on again. The government shut it down on January 11, and censorship and the taking of satellite dishes followed. The State Department gave SpaceX a sanctions exemption. ASL19 helped bring terminals into the country. The New York Times reported that GPS spoofing stopped many of about 50,000 terminals from working.

Airlines use Starlink for in-flight internet access. Hawaiian Airlines became the first airline to adopt it in 2022. United Airlines planned to equip its fleet, and the Federal Aviation Administration approved installation in March 2025. Other airlines include Qatar Airways, International Airlines Group with Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, Level and Vueling, Emirates, Hanjin Group with Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Air Busan, Air Seoul and Jin Air, and Lufthansa Group with Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, ITA Airways, Swiss International Air Lines, Air Dolomiti, Edelweiss Air, Eurowings and Discover Airlines. Others with deals include Zipair Tokyo, Air France, WestJet, Air New Zealand, airBaltic, SAS, Virgin Atlantic, Alaska Airlines, Air Canada, FlyDubai, Gulf Air, Southwest Airlines, Singapore Airlines, American Airlines, Wizz Air, El Al, Frontier Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Volaris, Copa Airlines, JetSmart, VietJet Air, Royal Air Maroc and KLM.

Starlink also gives sailors access to phone and Internet services wherever they are. Cargo lines Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, Hyundai Glovis, Korea Line, SK Shipping and Pan Ocean have installed it. Royal Caribbean Group added it to its liner Freedom of the Seas in 2022. By November 2025, it had installed it on all its ships. Carnival Corporation & plc added it in 2024. Viking, Disney Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings added it in 2023. MSC Cruises, Virgin Voyages and TUI Cruises added it in 2024.

Internet availability and regulatory approval

Starlink's network can reach almost the whole world, including the polar regions. As of July 2025, it was allowed to provide internet service in 115 countries. Canada was the first country outside the United States to approve the service, in November 2020. Starlink began service there in January 2021. By September 2022, Starlink was offered in 40 countries. In May 2022, Starlink arrived in the Philippines, its first place in Asia. In June 2026, India paused final approval for Starlink to begin running its service there. The reason was security concerns linked to the use of Starlink devices during the Iran conflict.

Hawaiian Airlines became the first airline to use Starlink in April 2022. It agreed to offer free internet on its planes. In September 2024, United Airlines announced plans to put Starlink on all of its planes. In September 2022, Starlink tests began at McMurdo Station in Antarctica.

Iran

Main articles: 2019 Internet blackout in Iran, 2025 Internet blackout in Iran, and 2026 Internet blackout in Iran

In 2022, U.S. rules were changed so Starlink could be sent to Iran. This was meant to support the Iranian protests against compulsory hijab. Starlink service started there soon after. Iran's government complained to the ITU, which is an international group that manages communication rules. The ITU ruled in Iran's favor in 2023 and 2024. In early 2026, Iranian authorities used jamming tools that mostly blocked the Starlink signal.

Facilities

Starlink has a satellite factory in Redmond, Washington, and a factory for user terminals in Bastrop, Texas. The Redmond satellite campus covers more than 314,000 square feet (29,200 m²) across several buildings. It is east of Seattle. The first building opened in 2015. Later, the company expanded into more buildings in the Redmond Ridge Corporate Center.

Starlink opened its user-terminal factory in Bastrop, east of Austin, in December 2023. In its first nine months, the factory, which is one million square feet (93,000 m²) in size, made one million user terminals. According to company statements reported by PCMag, the factory was expected to become the largest printed circuit board manufacturing site in the United States.

Technology

The first Starlink satellites weighed about 227 kg (500 lb) each. They were placed in low Earth orbit at 550 km (340 mi). This lower height helped reduce concerns about space debris. The satellites use optical inter-satellite links and phased array technology. They are mass-produced, which keeps the cost per unit low. Because they orbit much closer to Earth than geostationary satellites, they offer much faster connections, with delays similar to cable and fiber networks. Starlink satellites use Hall-effect thrusters with krypton or argon gas to move and stay in their orbits. Second-generation V2 Mini satellites, launched since February 2023, have two solar arrays. Future V2 satellites are planned to be launched on Starship.

Starlink offers several types of connection. These include direct-to-cell service for regular cellular phones. Its home internet service uses flat user terminals about the size of a pizza box. These have phased array antennas that track the satellites. They can be placed anywhere with a clear view of the sky, including on trains and airplanes. A smaller portable terminal, "Starlink Mini," was announced in June 2024. SpaceX has also applied to the FCC for at least 32 ground stations in the United States. Each typical ground station has nine antennas inside a fenced area.

Launches

Further information: List of Starlink launches

From February 2018 to May 2024, SpaceX launched more than 6,000 Starlink satellites into space. This number includes test satellites and some satellites that stopped working or were brought back down before they began regular service. In March 2020, SpaceX said it was making six satellites each day.

The first 1,440 satellites were planned to fly in 72 orbital planes, with 20 satellites in each plane. In May 2019, SpaceX launched the first 60 satellites into an orbit about 550 km (340 mi) above Earth. Newer Starlink v3 satellites are launched on Starship, a SpaceX rocket that can carry a much heavier load. In July 2026, a test flight on Starship flight 13 did not go all the way into orbit. In September 2026, the first 26 working v3 satellites were placed into orbit on Starship flight 14.

Impact on astronomy

Many astronomers worry that the large number of planned satellites will cause light pollution. They say the satellites are bright enough to seriously affect scientific observations, and this is getting harder to manage as more satellites are launched. The International Astronomical Union (IAU), the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), and the Square Kilometre Array Organization (SKAO) have all shared official concerns. In 2019, the Blanco telescope at the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory recorded a strong loss of signal and bright white lines in a DECam image. These matched a group of Starlink satellites that had been launched a week earlier.

SpaceX and Musk said the satellites would have little effect and could be handled with image stacking. Professional astronomers disagreed. Musk said SpaceX would work to reduce the albedo (how much light the satellites reflect). One satellite was launched with a special coating, but astronomers still found it too bright. SpaceX later added sunshades to many satellites, which made them somewhat fainter. In 2022, the IAU set up a center and a website to help astronomers deal with satellites. In 2023, a study reported that Starlink satellites were "leaking radio signals." These signals could be brighter than any natural source in the sky at the future Square Kilometer Array site.

Increased risk of satellite collision

Having so many satellites in orbit may cause long-term problems with space debris. With thousands of satellites up there, a satellite collision is possible. A crash like that could set off a chain reaction called Kessler syndrome. SpaceX says most of its satellites fly at a lower height. It also says that broken satellites are expected to fall out of orbit within five years, without using their own engines. Between December 2023 and May 2024, SpaceX made about 50,000 moves to avoid collisions. That is about double the number from the six months before.

There have been other close calls. One came near a European satellite, so the ESA planned new technology that can move satellites out of the way automatically. In 2021, China said its Tiangong space station had to dodge Starlink satellites. That same year, the Russian satellite Kosmos 1408 was destroyed, and the leftover pieces meant Starlink satellites had to avoid debris. In 2022, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) sent a letter to the FCC. It wrote on behalf of NASA and the US NSF. The letter warned about risks to low Earth orbit.

See also: Satellite constellation § Communications satellite constellations, and Satellite internet constellation

Main articles: Satellite internet constellation and Satellite constellation § Two-way communication

Other companies have also planned internet systems that use satellites. The OneWeb satellite constellation was announced at almost the same time as SpaceX's plan. In 2015, Samsung proposed a system of 4,600 satellites, but no public details had come out by 2020. That same year, Telesat announced a smaller system with 117 satellites. In April 2019, Amazon announced a large system called "Project Kuiper." Other systems include Amazon Leo, Globalstar, Iridium, Hughes Network Systems, and Viasat, Inc.. Two Chinese systems, Guowang and Qianfan, are also being launched.

In 2015, financial analysts asked established satellite companies how they planned to compete with SpaceX and OneWeb. By October 2017, the expected growth in satellite internet had led some companies to cancel planned investments in new communications satellites in geosynchronous orbit. In February 2021, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association asked the Federal Communications Commission to carefully check the subsidy applications from SpaceX and other providers. The group said some Starlink funding would go to places that are not rural, such as Harlem. It also said Starlink was still being tested and used technology that had not been proven. Starlink has also had trademark disputes in some countries, including Mexico and Ukraine.