SpaceX on Wednesday unveiled Starlink Aviation, a satellite internet service that will offer in-flight Wi-Fi on private jets.
Starlink, a venture founded by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, aims to sell internet connections to almost anyone on the planet by way of a growing network of private satellites orbiting overhead. The new service plans to charge customers $150,000 for the hardware needed to connect a jet to Starlink, with monthly subscriptions costing between $12,500 a month and $25,000 a month for unlimited data.
The internet terminals, which Starlink Aviation expects to begin delivering in mid-2023, can deliver download speeds of up to 350Mbps, “enabling all passengers to access streaming-capable internet at the same time,” the company said on its website.
“Passengers can engage in activities previously not functional in flight, including video calls, online gaming, virtual private networks and other high data rate activities,” the company said.
Starlink is a collection of about 2,000 low Earth orbit satellites designed to offer fast Wi-Fi around the world. Earlier this year, it inked a deal to offer free Wi-Fi to Hawaiian Airlines passengers on flights across the Pacific, including to the continental US, Asia and Australia. Carrier JSX had previously signed on to use Starlink.
SpaceX also offers a Starlink for RVs satellite internet service, which is aimed at people frequently traveling in RVs, campers and other large vehicles. The service costs $135 a month, $25 more than Starlink’s residential service, with a onetime equipment fee of $599.
