SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet network is poised to achieve a significant milestone this week, with company President Gwynne Shotwell announcing in a testimony to Texas legislators that the subscriber count will surpass 4 million, Tech Crunch reports.
The milestone was officially confirmed by SpaceX on Thursday.
This achievement indicates that Starlink has gained an impressive one million new customers since the end of May 2023. The growth trajectory for Starlink has been notable; since launching beta services in October 2020, the company reached 1 million subscribers by December 2022, 2 million in September 2023, and 3 million in May.
Starlink’s satellite constellation now consists of nearly 6,000 satellites, providing service to users in almost 100 countries. Its customer base includes individual consumers as well as large enterprise clients, such as major airlines and cruise lines.
According to industry research and consulting firm Quilty Space, Starlink is expected to generate approximately $6.6 billion in revenue this year, a significant increase from around $1.4 billion just two years ago.
Starlink plays a crucial role in SpaceX’s broader strategy to commercialize space and support future exploration efforts. CEO Elon Musk has long indicated that revenue from Starlink would help finance the development of the Starship, a massive reusable rocket. The successful deployment of Starship is expected to enhance Starlink’s satellite launches, allowing for a greater rate of deployment.
Starlink has established itself as a leader in the satellite internet market, steadily increasing its market share at the expense of traditional providers like Viasat and SES, which operate larger satellites in higher geostationary orbits. While other satellite constellations, including Amazon’s Project Kuiper, are in development, they have not yet begun commercial operations.
