Promotional image for Starlink Mini.
The email was sent to SpaceX customers on June 19, 2024.
SpaceX is rolling out a compact version of its Starlink antennas, which the company is advertising as a mobile option for satellite Internet customers.
“The Starlink Mini is a compact, portable kit that fits easily into a backpack and is designed to provide high-speed, low-latency internet on the go,” according to a customer email sent by SpaceX on Wednesday and seen by CNBC.
The company is offering a “limited number” of Starlink Mini antennas for $599 each in the Early Access version. That's $100 more than the base model of the “standard” antenna sold with residential service, although the company is aiming to lower the price.
“Our goal is to lower the price of Starlink, especially for those around the world where connectivity has been unaffordable or completely unavailable,” SpaceX wrote in the email.
Promotional image for Starlink Mini.
The email was sent to SpaceX customers on June 19, 2024.
In addition to the initial hardware cost, Starlink Mini service actually costs $150 per month, with SpaceX offering the service for the Mini as an additional $30 per month package on top of the $120 per month residential service. The “Mini Roam” service can be used anywhere in the US but is capped at 50GB of data per month, with Starlink charging $1 per GB for additional data.
Sign up here to receive weekly editions of CNBC's newsletter on investing in space.
The Starlink Mini antenna is about the size and weight of a laptop, weighing just over two pounds and measuring about 12 inches x 10 inches x 1.5 inches. It's roughly half the size and one-third the weight of a standard Starlink antenna.
The Starlink Mini comes with a built-in WiFi router and “lower power consumption” compared to other antennas, yet still boasts download speeds of over 100 Mbps, the SpaceX email said.
The email did not specify when Starlink Mini deliveries would begin. In a social media post, Starlink Engineering vice president Michael Nichols said the company is “ramping up production” on the Starlink Mini and that it “will be available in international markets soon.”
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote in a post on Monday that setting up the Starlink Mini took less than five minutes.
“This product will change the world,” Musk declared.
SpaceX has steadily expanded its Starlink network and product offerings since the service first launched in 2020. There are about 6,000 Starlink satellites in orbit connecting more than 3 million customers in 100 countries, according to the company. SpaceX initially targeted consumer customers, but has expanded into other markets — including national security, enterprise, mobility, marine services, and aviation — and disrupted the existing satellite communications sector.
