SpaceX‘s VP of Starlink Engineering, Michael Nicolls, on Sunday, said that the latest satellite terminals on flights can support peak speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second.
Starlink’s Wi-Fi Terminals
In a response to a post outlining the Starlink terminals’ speeds of 220 megabits per second, Nicolls said that the current terminals supported peak speeds of 400-500 megabits per second. “The 220 Mbps number is referring to actual in-flight performance,” he said.
Nicolls also mentioned that Starlink’s rivals quote “peak speeds as real performance” because they have fewer users in comparison, adding that Starlink quoted real performance figures from automated tests. “The latest aviation terminal supports two channels, so up to 1 Gbps peak speeds per terminal,” he said, adding that future designs would increase “peak bandwidth per terminal.”
Starlink’s Windfall
Starlink could see the capacity of its constellation rise as much as sevenfold under new rules outlined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which restricted the spectrum-sharing for non-geostationary satellite operators like the company.
Notably, Starlink already has deals in place with flight operators like Virgin Atlantic and United Airlines Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) and is also in talks with American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL) to provide its satellite internet service to the companies.
Elon Musk’s Multiplanetary Vision, SpaceX IPO
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk recently outlined the importance of reusable rockets for humanity to transform into a multiplanetary civilization, adding that the Starship V4 rocket will be more powerful than NASA’s Saturn V rocket used during the Apollo Missions.
Musk's SpaceX compensation package, which has been in the news following talks of SpaceX’s upcoming IPO, has outlined the importance of orbital datacenters for Musk.
The reported pay package would see Musk gain 200 million super-voting restricted shares if SpaceX reaches a $7.5 trillion valuation, as well as another 60.4 million restricted shares if the company deploys 100 terawatts of AI compute in orbit.
On the other hand, SpaceX’s dual-class share structure for the IPO effectively means that Musk could only be ousted from his role as the CEO by himself.
Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.
Image via Shutterstock
Login to comment