SpaceX's Starlink is Offering Space-Based Internet Service to Airlines; Testing Now Underway

Starlink, SpaceX's satellite internet service, is in talks with several airline companies to offer their space-based internet service. Jonathan Hofeller, the project's vice president, told a panel at the Connected Aviation Intelligence Summit last Wednesday that the company is developing an aviation product and is testing them to finalize it before putting it on an aircraft soon.

According to Bloomberg, this project is an expansion of Elon Musk's space company from providing internet connection to hard-to-reach areas onto airlines as it races to open its broadband network commercially later this year.

SpaceX's Constellation of Satellites Will Provide Internet Connectivity Worldwide

Hofeller said that SpaceX is producing six satellites a week at its assembly site near Seattle. The company is also moving towards a more sophisticated design. However, he did not disclose any details of the testing or the advancements the company is making regarding their discussions with airline companies.

An article in the Space Explored blog reported that Musk has raised in an internal memo concerns on a potential bankruptcy filing if SpaceX will be unable to fix production issues on the Raptor engines used to power its newest and largest Starship rocket. Musk wrote in the memo that the rocket needed to launch in the next iteration of the Starlink satellites.

SpaceX, formally known as Space Exploration Technologies, Corp., is currently working towards its goal of sending over 30,000 satellites to low-Earth orbit that will provide high-speed internet coverage to rural households and those hard-to-reach areas around the globe.

But now, they are planning to expand their operations in providing space-based internet service connection to airlines, competing against OneWeb, Viasat Inc., Intelsat SA, Telesat Corp., and others.

SpaceX's Airline Antennas

SpaceX has already launched almost 1,800 Starlink satellites since 2018 and the company is set to send more in the years to come. They are now in the middle of a Starlink beta phase that will provide 100Mbps download and 20Mbps upload speeds to their tens of thousands of users.

In 2020, CNBC reported that the company filed plans of testing Starlink on five Gulfstream jets, and in March this year, they finally got the FCC approval for using Starlink with Earth Stations in Motion. It is any vehicle that could receive a signal while in motion, which includes cars, trucks, maritime vessels, and even airplanes.

Then last Friday, SpaceX requested approval for testing across five US states of an updated receiver antenna with a design usually associated with an aircraft antenna.

Hofeller said that SpaceX's airline antenna would be an enhanced version of the technology inside its consumer terminals. He added that SpaceX would design both the airline antenna and the aviation hardware.

The Verge reported that its airborne antennas could link with ground stations to be connected with Starlink satellites to provide connectivity to airplanes flying over remote parts of the ocean, which is far from ground stations.

Check out more news and information on SpaceX and Starlink in Science Times.