SpaceX Makes Starlink Pre-Orders Available to the Public

SpaceX is now taking another step forward in expanding their public test of their Starlink system. They are now opening up pre-orders to the public, you can sign up and pay a $99 deposit to secure your spot. You’ll receive a target coverage date of either this year or next year dependent on your location. The deposit is fully refundable if you choose not to go forward. However if you do choose to receive Starlink internet keep in mind that the full starter kit costs $499 which includes a wi-fi router and satellite dish. Though tax and shipping are extra.

The fine print does state that your order can take up to 6 months to fulfill, additionally they advise that your deposit does not “guarantee service”. The public beta initially began last year with service in the UK, US, and Canada. Current pre-orders are available to a much larger swath of people. SpaceX recently announced that they had over 10,000 users. Their final goal is getting enough of their small Starlink satellites in low-earth orbit to provide high speed internet coverage to remote and rural hard to reach areas which are traditionally underserved by broadband providers, and in some cases have no access to internet at all. It remains to be seen how viable Starlink will ultimately prove to be, but it’s encouraging to see the progress being made to provide reasonable access to high-speed internet in a world that increasingly demands it. As we’ve seen during this pandemic high-speed internet cannot be seen as optional or a luxury, but is in fact a necessity. And the fact that so many across the world still lack access has long been a failure. Hopefully SpaceX will change that in the near future.