Photo: SpaceX
SpaceX launched Starlink Maritime just days after it acquired the FCC permit to operate the Starlink internet service on moving vehicles. The service, optimized for use on boats and ships, can deliver up to 350 Mbps download speed while at sea, but it doesn’t come cheap.
The privilege of having an internet connection in some of the most remote areas of the globe can be quite expensive. Basic Starlink service starts at $110 per month and goes to $135 if you want to use it on an RV or another vehicle. Mind you, this is the fee for a stationary vehicle, as the terms of the service prohibit customers from operating the Starlink dish antenna while in motion. Even before that, customers must pay $599 for the hardware kit, including the dish antenna and a wireless router.
Luckily, SpaceX got the permit to offer mobile services, and a customized service is now in place for those that need permanent connectivity while in motion. The new service explicitly addresses maritime operations, hence the Starlink Maritime name. If you thought Starlink for RVs was expensive, you better grab a chair before reading further. Starlink Maritime hardware kit will set you back $10,000, admittedly for two “high performance” terminals. And then you have to pay a monthly subscription fee, which is outrageously set at $5,000.
According to SpaceX and Elon Musk himself, the subscription fee is more than fair, as SpaceX has been paying $150,000 per month for a much worse connection on its ships. And the price for the two Starlink terminals is more than justified considering they have to sustain constant salt water spraying and maintain connection in choppy seas and heavy storms.
Currently, the coverage is somewhat limited, with the service working in the coastal waters of the USA (not including Alaska), Europe (except most of Norway, Sweden, and Finland), Australia, Brazil, Chile, most of the southern part of Australia, and New Zealand. SpaceX will eventually extend the coverage to more locations starting in the fourth quarter of 2022.
We figure people who own a superyacht would have no problem paying $10,000 for the hardware kit. As for the monthly fee, you only need to pay for the months you actively use Starlink Maritime services. This is similar to Starlink for RV’s conditions. The best part is that people who do need connectivity while at sea now have an option. And we get to see SpaceX landings in high-definition from now, as you can see in the tweet below.
Luckily, SpaceX got the permit to offer mobile services, and a customized service is now in place for those that need permanent connectivity while in motion. The new service explicitly addresses maritime operations, hence the Starlink Maritime name. If you thought Starlink for RVs was expensive, you better grab a chair before reading further. Starlink Maritime hardware kit will set you back $10,000, admittedly for two “high performance” terminals. And then you have to pay a monthly subscription fee, which is outrageously set at $5,000.
According to SpaceX and Elon Musk himself, the subscription fee is more than fair, as SpaceX has been paying $150,000 per month for a much worse connection on its ships. And the price for the two Starlink terminals is more than justified considering they have to sustain constant salt water spraying and maintain connection in choppy seas and heavy storms.
Currently, the coverage is somewhat limited, with the service working in the coastal waters of the USA (not including Alaska), Europe (except most of Norway, Sweden, and Finland), Australia, Brazil, Chile, most of the southern part of Australia, and New Zealand. SpaceX will eventually extend the coverage to more locations starting in the fourth quarter of 2022.
We figure people who own a superyacht would have no problem paying $10,000 for the hardware kit. As for the monthly fee, you only need to pay for the months you actively use Starlink Maritime services. This is similar to Starlink for RV’s conditions. The best part is that people who do need connectivity while at sea now have an option. And we get to see SpaceX landings in high-definition from now, as you can see in the tweet below.
In addition to withstanding extreme cold, heat, hail, sleet, heavy rain, and gale force winds, Starlink is rugged enough to withstand rocket landings. Here’s live video captured on a SpaceX droneship at sea with and without Starlink pic.twitter.com/EKhLrjLhlq
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) July 7, 2022
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