SpaceX has seemingly started selling “Mini” Starlink dishes that can fit in a backpack, but it’s priced higher than its CEO Elon Musk‘s previous estimates.
What Happened: According to details of the hardware posted on the Starlink website, the Mini dish measures 11.75 inches long and 10.2 inches wide, making it portable and easy to fit in a backpack.
According to documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Starlink Mini dish is about the size of an Apple MacBook.
The Mini bundle includes the dish, a kickstand, a pipe adapter, a direct current power cable, and a power supply. The hardware doesn’t include an external router as it is built inside the dish. It supports Wi-Fi 5 speeds and weighs just 3.37 pounds with a kickstand and 15-metre cable.
SpaceX has seemingly started contacting Starlink customers inviting them to purchase the Mini Kit. As per the contents of the mail shared on social media platform X by SpaceX enthusiast Sawyer Merritt, the kit is priced at $599, higher than previously promised by Musk, and deliveries will start in July.
Musk’s False Promise On Mini: Earlier this month, Musk said that the Mini Starlink hardware will “change the world” and have “massive demand in lower income parts of the world.” He also said that the smaller dish would be priced at about half of the standard dish, hinting at a $250-$300 price point. The standard Starlink dish is now priced at just $499 in the U.S.
However, SpaceX said in the invite mail that it intends to eventually bring down the price of Starlink.
“Our goal is to reduce the price of Starlink, especially for those around the world where connectivity has been unaffordable or completely unavailable. But in regions with high usage, where Starlink Mini places additional demand on the satellite network, we are offering a limited number of the Starlink Mini Kits to start for $599,” the mail read.
Starlink is the satellite internet segment of Musk's SpaceX. The service is now available across 100 countries, with the latest addition of Sierra Leone, providing connectivity to over 3 million customers.
Musk's SpaceX was valued at $180 billion in a tender offer in December. The Starlink segment achieved a breakeven cash flow a month before, in November.
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