SpaceX's Starlink is the internet service wanted by airlines, cruise lines, and businesses worldwide. Here's what you need to know about Elon Musk's satellite network.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

Hannibal Hanschke-Pool/Getty Images

• Starlink is SpaceX's broadband service that beams internet connectivity from satellites in orbit.
• It has more than 400,000 users worldwide and is designed to get remote areas online.
• Here's everything you need to know about Elon Musk's Starlink.

Elon Musk has created a super-fast, global internet service that uses satellites orbiting Earth.

Starlink, a satellite internet constellation operated by Starlink, was launched in October 2020. It has more than 400,000 users worldwide, has partnered with airlines and cruise ships, and played a role in the Ukraine war.

Starlink is also an option for those living in remote areas who don't have access to affordable broadband.

What's the hype about Starlink?

SpaceX, the aerospace manufacturer founded by Musk, has an expansive, high-speed satellite internet network in space called Starlink. The satellites in orbit envelope the Earth and offer broadband connectivity to users — especially those in rural areas without fixed-line connections.

SpaceX launched its first satellites in May 2019 and now has more than 2,900 satellites in low-earth orbit. The goal is to have up to 42,000 satellites by mid-2027.

The satellites are strapped onto SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and blasted into orbit, usually releasing 60 per launch.

When the service began, SpaceX said in an email to Starlink beta test subscribers they should expect speeds between 50 and 150 megabits per second, with intermittent outages. But some users hit much higher speeds. Starlink has even reached speeds of 175 Mbps in freezing temperatures, high winds and snow.

Spectators watch from Canaveral National Seashore as a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 60 Starlink satellites launches.

Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Costs have fluctuated

A Starlink subscription is $110 per month and another $600 for the Starlink kit, which includes a mounting tripod, a WiFi router, and a terminal to connect to the company's satellites.

The service costs more than what it initially charged users in October 2020. Customers previously paid $600 upfront for the kit and monthly subscription. SpaceX told customers in March it was raising prices, with new customers now paying $710 upfront. However, prices were cut in late August for users in the US and Europe.

Insider explained how to sign up for the service, which works on a "first-come, first-served basis."

A photo of SpaceX's Starlink user terminal, or satellite dish, installed on a roof. Company founder Elon Musk has called such devices "UFOs on a stick," and they're designed to connect to the internet via a fleet of orbiting spacecraft.

Ashish Sharma/SpaceX

Starlink wanted by airlines and cruises

SpaceX asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in March 2021 if it could expand Starlink to the automotive industry. In June, the agency granted SpaceX authorization to use Starlink on vehicles in motion.

Since its FCC request last year, Starlink has signed deals with the likes of Royal Caribbean, Hawaiian Airlines, and semi-private regional jet service JSX to offer passengers WiFi. The company has also been in talks with Delta and Frontier Airlines.

Starlink uses antennas — "electrically identical" to existing user terminals — which can be mounted on vehicles, vessels, and aircraft. Musk tweeted that the antennas would not connect Tesla cars to Starlink because the terminals are "much too big."

"This is for aircraft, ships, large trucks & RVs," the billionaire said, who also tweeted that he's testing Starlink on his private jet.

Snow melting on Starlink terminal.

Anonymous

Role in the Ukraine war

Since Russian president Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in February, SpaceX has provided thousands of Starlink dishes to Ukrainians. This is despite Russia ramping up efforts to hack the network.

Ukraine's vice-prime minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, asked Musk in February to send Starlink terminals to Ukraine. In response, Musk said Starlink was activated in Ukraine and promised the terminals were on the way. By June, SpaceX had delivered 15,000 Starlink internet kits to Ukraine.

Reports suggest Starlink has helped Ukrainian troops. One example was when a Ukrainian soldier told a journalist that Starlink had helped Ukrainian soldiers to stay online while Russia attacked internet infrastructure.

A photo illustration of a satellite-tracking app showing one of SpaceX's Starlink internet-beaming spacecraft on a map of Earth.

Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Are you a Starlink user? How are you finding it? Get in touch with this reporter via Twitter DM or email kduffy@insider.com.

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