Starlink’s growth is accelerating at a pace that mirrors the rockets that launched it. SpaceX says its satellite internet service has surpassed 9 million active customers worldwide, adding more than 1 million users in under seven weeks, a surge that works out to over 20,000 new customers every day, as reported by Business Insider.
In a post shared on X, SpaceX said Starlink is now operating in 155 countries, territories, and markets. Just weeks earlier, in early November, the company reported 8 million users, highlighting how sharply adoption has climbed toward the end of 2025. For context, Starlink had only 4.6 million customers at the end of 2024, meaning its user base has nearly doubled in about a year.
Starlink is powered by a massive constellation of more than 9,000 low Earth orbit satellites, designed to deliver high-speed internet to areas poorly served by traditional broadband. That reach has proven especially attractive in rural and remote regions, where fiber and cable infrastructure is expensive or nonexistent.
According to Elon Musk, Starlink has become “by far” the largest driver of SpaceX’s revenue. That statement helps explain why investors are closely watching the satellite business, especially amid reports that SpaceX is considering a public offering next year at a valuation as high as $1.5 trillion.
Usage data backs up the growth story. Global web traffic carried over Starlink more than doubled in 2025, according to Cloudflare, which handles internet traffic for millions of websites. The surge suggests that Starlink is not just signing up customers, but that those customers are actively using the service for everyday connectivity.
The expansion goes beyond homes and remote installations. Around two dozen airlines have announced plans to equip their aircraft with Starlink, promising fast, low-latency WiFi at cruising altitude. SpaceX has also hinted at launching its own mobile carrier service, potentially allowing phones to connect directly to satellites in areas with no cell coverage.
Starlink’s success builds on SpaceX’s broader track record of turning once-theoretical ideas into commercial reality. The company normalized reusable rockets, now launches more payload mass into orbit than any other organization, and stepped into gaps left as NASA and the Pentagon shifted away from government-only spaceflight models.
Looking ahead, Starlink plays a key role in Musk’s longer-term ambitions. SpaceX ultimately plans to support missions to Mars and has even floated ideas about hosting data centers in space using its massive Starship rocket. For now, though, the satellite internet business is delivering something more immediate: millions of new customers, rapid global expansion, and a growing stream of revenue that could soon stand on its own as a public company.
