Elon Musk's SpaceX unveils new Starlink Aviation tier
New tier will cost up to $15,000 per month with a one-time hardware fee of $150,000
SpaceX has unveiled Starlink Aviation, a new tier that will support in-flight internet service on airplanes.
Starlink Aviation will deliver speeds of up to 350 megabits per second and latency, or the time it takes to send data from one point to the next, as low as 20 milliseconds, allowing passengers to engage in video calls, online gaming, virtual private networks and other high data rate activities during flight.
The Starlink Aviation kit will include SpaceX's Aero Terminal, a power supply, two wireless access points and harnesses. The new tier will cost between $12,500 and $15,000 per month with a one-time hardware cost of $150,000.
Starlink Aviation reservations will require an initial $5,000 credit card payment. Deliveries will begin in mid-2023.
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According to a FAQ page on SpaceX's website, Starlink Aviation will have global coverage and be available in-flight over land and water and on the ground during taxi, takeoff and landing.
"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," the company said.
Aircraft that currently support Starlink Aviation include Embraer regional jets and larger business jets.
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Standard Starlink service is currently available on all seven continents, including Antarctica, for $110 per month with a one-time hardware cost of $599 for standard satellite dishes and $2,500 for "high performance" satellite dishes.
Starlink for RVs costs $135 per month with a one-time hardware cost of $599. (Photo courtesy of SpaceX) | Fox News
In addition to Starlink Aviation, SpaceX offers a $500 per month premium tier for businesses, a $135 per month tier for RVs and a $5,000 per month tier for boats. All Starlink plans come with unlimited data and no long-term contracts.
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SpaceX has already established in-flight Wi-Fi partnerships with Hawaiian Airlines and semi-private carrier JSX.
A Hawaiian Airlines jet taxies out to the runway at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona 14 February, 2006. (Karen Bleier/AFP via Getty Images) | Getty Images
Additionally, the company has reached Starlink connectivity partnerships with T-Mobile and Royal Caribbean and is looking to expand the service to school buses. SpaceX founder Elon Musk also said that the company has had "some promising conversations" with Apple about Starlink connectivity.
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SpaceX has launched over 3,000 Starlink satellites to date. Starlink has a global user base of more than 400,000 subscribers.