How Elon Musk's Starlink works, what it costs, and what satellites power global video broadcasting.
Section 01
What Is Starlink?
SpaceX's global internet network built from thousands of small satellites in low Earth orbit.
7,000+
Satellites in orbit
550 km
Orbital altitude
~25ms
Latency
100–300 Mbps
Typical speed
100+ countries
Coverage
The core idea: Traditional internet satellites sit 35,000 km away — so far that signals take 600ms to travel. Starlink satellites orbit at just 550 km. That proximity slashes latency to ~25ms, making it fast enough for video calls, gaming, and real-time applications — from anywhere on Earth.
🛰️ Satellite Type
LEO (Low Earth Orbit) — 550 km altitude
Each satellite weighs ~300 kg (v1.5) or ~800 kg (v2 Mini)
Flat-panel design with deployable solar array
Ka/Ku-band radio + laser inter-satellite links
Autonomous collision-avoidance (AI-driven)
Designed to de-orbit and burn up after ~5 years
📡 Ground Equipment
Flat phased-array dish ("Dishy") — no manual pointing needed
Electronically steers beam to track satellites as they pass
Connects to nearest satellite overhead every ~90 seconds
Built-in WiFi router included
Power: ~50–75W during operation
Works in rain, snow, moderate wind
🔗 Laser Links (Space Lasers)
v2 satellites have inter-satellite laser links
Data travels between satellites in space — not via ground
Faster than fibre for long-distance routes (light travels faster in vacuum)
Enables coverage over oceans and polar regions
Key for military / remote use cases
Section 02
How Starlink Works — Step by Step
From your dish to the internet in under 25 milliseconds.
1
Your dish sends a signal up
The flat phased-array antenna on your roof electronically locks onto the nearest Starlink satellite passing overhead. No mechanical pointing — the beam steers itself using thousands of tiny antenna elements.
2
Satellite receives and routes
The satellite receives your request on Ku-band radio. It either relays it down to the nearest SpaceX ground station, or — on laser-linked satellites — passes it across the constellation via space lasers to reach a ground station closer to your destination.
3
Ground station connects to internet
SpaceX ground stations (called "gateways") connect the satellite network to the terrestrial internet backbone. There are hundreds of gateways globally to minimise the final hop distance.
4
Response travels back
The return path is the same in reverse — internet → gateway → satellite → your dish. The whole round trip takes ~25ms. Compare that to 600ms for a traditional geostationary satellite.
5
Seamless handoff between satellites
Because Starlink satellites move fast across the sky, your dish hands off between satellites every ~90 seconds automatically — similar to how your phone switches cell towers. You never notice it.
Section 03
How Much Does Starlink Cost?
Hardware once, subscription monthly. Pricing varies by tier and region.
Plan
Hardware Cost
Monthly Fee
Speed
Who It's For
Residential
$349 dish
$120/mo
50–250 Mbps
Home users, rural areas
Roam (Mobile)
$349–$599 dish
$150/mo
50–200 Mbps
RVs, boats, travel
Business
$2,500 dish
$500/mo
200–1,000 Mbps
Enterprises, remote sites
Maritime
$10,000 dish
$1,000–$5,000/mo
350+ Mbps
Ships, yachts, offshore
Aviation
$150,000 install
$12,500–$25,000/mo
100–350 Mbps
Private jets, airlines
Starlink Direct to Cell
No dish needed
Carrier licensing
~1–10 Mbps
Standard smartphones (2024+)
Government / Military
Custom
$2,500+/mo per terminal
Up to 1 Gbps
Military, defence, emergency
Cost to build each satellite: SpaceX manufactures Starlink satellites in-house at approximately $250,000–$500,000 each — orders of magnitude cheaper than traditional satellites which cost $150M–$400M. They launch ~20 satellites per Falcon 9 rocket, with launch costs around $67M — roughly $3M per satellite to orbit.
Section 04
What Type of Satellite Powers Video Broadcasting?
TV and video broadcasting uses a completely different type of satellite to Starlink — here's why.
📺 GEO Satellites — The TV Broadcasting Standard
Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites sit at 35,786 km altitude directly above the equator. At this height they orbit at exactly the same speed as Earth's rotation — so they appear completely stationary in the sky. One satellite covers 1/3 of the Earth's surface continuously.
Used by: Sky, DirecTV, Eutelsat, SES, Intelsat, Arabsat, Nilesat
One satellite covers entire continents — a single dish can receive it forever without moving
Broadcasts the same signal to millions of dishes simultaneously (one-to-many)
Ku-band (12–18 GHz) and Ka-band (26–40 GHz) for TV; C-band for older systems
High-definition and 4K video require ~20–100 Mbps per channel — GEO handles this easily
Latency is 600ms+ — fine for broadcast TV, not good for internet or real-time use
Cost per satellite: $150M–$400M · Lifespan: 15–20 years
🛰️ LEO Satellites — Emerging Video Delivery (OTT / Streaming)
Newer video delivery over the internet (Netflix, YouTube, live sports streaming) increasingly uses LEO constellations like Starlink. Not traditional broadcast — instead streaming unicast to individual users.
One connection per dish — personalised streams, not broadcast
Low latency enables live sports streaming without delay
Used in locations with no fibre: remote resorts, ships, aircraft in-flight entertainment