Oct. 19 (UPI) — SpaceX announced that its satellite internet service Starlink will be available on select airplanes beginning next year.
Starlink Aviation will offer Internet speeds of up to 350 Mbps to each plane that is equipped with its Aero Terminal, which it says is fast enough for video calls, online gaming, “and other high data rate activities.”
“With Starlink, passengers will be able to access high-speed, low-latency internet from the moment they walk on their plane,” SpaceX said in a tweet.
According to The Verge, most flights offer speeds that max out around 10 Mbps per flight. Some satellite systems offer between 30Mbps and 100Mbps. According to Starlink Aviation’s website, the new service will have global coverage, with deliveries expected in mid-2023.
“Since the satellites are moving in low-Earth orbit, there are always satellites overhead or nearby to provide a strong signal at high latitudes and in polar regions — unlike with geo-stationary satellites,” Starlink Aviation’s website said.
The announcement comes after Tesla founder Elon Musk said Friday that SpaceX could not keep funding its Starlink satellites in Ukraine because the company is losing money. He later backtracked, saying the company would continue to provide Internet service to Ukraine.
“Starlink is still losing money,” he said. “When asked what the goal of Starlink was at a space conference, I said ‘not go bankrupt.'”
Musk said Starlink terminals for Ukraine, a vital part in its defense arsenal against Russia, use 100 times more data than an average household and have already cost around $80 million.
That cost could hit $100 million by the end of the year. Bloomberg reported that Musk himself is worth upwards of $200 billion.
