Starlink, a division of SpaceX, is a satellite internet constellation operator aiming to provide high-speed, low-latency broadband internet to underserved areas globally. With over 7,000 satellites in low Earth orbit as of March 2025, Starlink offers internet services with download speeds between 50 and 220 Mbps. It utilizes phased array antennas and optical space lasers for global coverage and supports various applications, including remote work, disaster recovery, and IoT. Keywords associated with Starlink are satellite internet, SpaceX, broadband, and LEO constellation.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
Sixty Starlink first-generation satellites have a total mass of just over 17,000 kg, while a Falcon 9 upper stage that launched them to LEO has a mass of over 25,000 kg.
SpaceX previously planned to launch full-sized Starlink V2 satellites on Starship rather than the smaller V2 mini satellites currently launched on Falcon 9.
SpaceX plans to deploy a version 3 of its Starlink satellites, referred to as Starlink V3.
The U.S. Space Force awarded a $70,000,000 contract to SpaceX for Starlink internet services.
The $70,000,000 award is a one-year task order to SpaceX dated 2023-09-01 for the procurement of Starlink internet services.
The Starlink service provided under the $70,000,000 task order is identified as Starshield, SpaceX’s brand name for its military product line.
The Space Systems Command oversees the Commercial Satellite Communications Office that awarded the Starlink task order.
Musk was reported to have denied Ukraine’s military access to Starlink during drone attacks on Russian warships in Crimea.
Falcon 9 launched 22 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit on Friday, 2023-09-29 at 10:00 p.m. ET from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
SpaceX targeted a Falcon 9 launch of 22 Starlink satellites from SLC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for Friday, 2023-09-29 at 6:39 p.m. ET with three backup opportunities starting at 7:34 p.m. ET and extending until 10:15 p.m. ET.
Booster 1069 previously supported the CRS-24, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13F, OneWeb 1, SES-18, and SES-19 missions and had supported five Starlink missions prior to this flight.
NewSpace Global estimates Starlink could produce almost $1,000,000,000 in revenue by 2030, representing about 10% of NewSpace Global’s total smallsat market projection, assuming 15–17% market growth.
To achieve a subscriber base of more than 900 million, Starlink would need to capture nearly 100% of people without cell phones or convert a substantial number of existing cell phone users to Starlink.
Starlink costs approximately $20,000,000 per month to operate.
A Falcon 9 launched 22 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Saturday, 2023-09-23.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launched 21 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit on Monday, 2023-09-25 at 1:48 a.m. PT (08:48 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The 22 Starlink satellites deployed from the Falcon 9 upper stage about 65 minutes after launch.
The 17th-flight booster had previously launched GPS III-3, Turksat 5A, Transporter-2, Intelsat G-33/G-34, Transporter-6, and 12 Starlink missions.
SpaceX launched 22 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit on 2023-09-23, at 11:38 p.m. ET.
The first stage booster supporting the 2023-09-25 mission previously launched SDA-0A and four Starlink missions.