SpaceX’s internet-from-space program Starlink has increased prices for both the purchase of Starlink kits and for the monthly service. The company says the “sole purpose of these adjustments is to keep pace with rising inflation.”
Earlier, it was a $499 upfront purchase of a starter kit with all the necessary supplies, including a user terminal, or antenna, for connecting with SpaceX’s satellites. Afterward, the customers paid a $99 monthly charge to keep the service running. Now, the monthly price will be $110. All new orders of the Starlink kit will now cost $599, and anyone who put down a deposit for the original $499 kit will have to pay $549 instead.
Starlink is SpaceX’s ambitious program aimed at launching tens of thousands of satellites to beam broadband Internet coverage to the entire globe.
When SpaceX first started offering Starlink to customers, the cost to construct each user antenna ran about $3,000, which meant SpaceX was selling its kits to customers at a loss. In April of 2021, Shotwell claimed that SpaceX managed to shave down the construction cost, putting it around $1,300 to build each terminal.
The email from the company, communicating the price hike stated, “Since launching our public beta service in October 2020, the Starlink team has tripled the number of satellites in orbit, quadrupled the number of ground stations and made continuous improvements to our network,” the email stated. “Going forward, users can expect Starlink to maintain its cadence of continuous network improvements as well as new feature additions.” There were no details on if additional price hikes might occur.
