Starlink Aviation ! Elon Musk’s satellite internet service by SpaceX enters into in-flight connectivity Sector promising 350 Mbps to each aircraft !

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has rolled out an aviation targeted satellite internet service on Tuesday , as it seeks to expand its in-flight connectivity scope.

Venture named as Starlink Aviation , that aims to deliver SpaceX’s Starlink service to private aircraft , by offering onboard connectivity speeds of up to 300Mbps to planes equipped with its Aero Terminal Kit – which is an one time investment of $150,000 per aircraft.

After storming the social media by on-off-on announcement to acquire Twitter , Elon Musk now slowly explores the Aviation services sector , not to mention his bigger presence in Space Industry.

Starlink Aviation - the First step to Aviation ?

So , what can we expect  ? The announcement of Starlink Aviation hints SpaceX’s intention to commercialise the satellite internet service and increase its circle.

It's not too long , and only in July 2022 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the use of the Starlink satellite broadband system for moving vehicles.

• In May 2022 , SpaceX had informed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that it surpassed 400,000 Starlink Internet subscribers across 36 countries.
• The company had a private conference presentation with FCC representatives on May 19 about using the 12GHz band “for providing next-generation satellite services to Americans,” including to use Starlink broadband satellite service on moving vehicles. 

The Starlink Aviation announcement for the aviation sector read as,

With Starlink, passengers will be able to access high-speed, low-latency internet from the moment they walk on their plane .

Apart from the one time installation cost of $150,000 for the Aero Terminal antenna kit , private jets will have to pay between $12,500 to $25,000 per month for the service.

Promise is big ,

“Starlink can deliver up to 350 Mbps to each plane, enabling all passengers to access streaming-capable internet at the same time.” 

“With latency as low as 20 ms, passengers can engage in activities previously not functional in flight, including video calls, online gaming, virtual private networks and other high data rate activities” .

With this big aim to revolutionize the sector ,  Starlink Aviation will begin delivering terminals in mid-2023 , with reservations requiring a $5,000 payment.

Comparing connectivity speeds for the aviation sector,  most flights tend to get a top speed of approximately 10Mbps per flight at present and the current satellite systems for the aviation sector typically offer between 30Mbps and 100Mbps.

Starlink Aviation will find itself competing against established players like UK based Inmarsat and its US rival ViaSat , which are expecting a merger.