SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet network is expected to reach a new customer milestone this week, company President Gwynne Shotwell told Texas lawmakers on Tuesday.
“By the way, this week we’re going to have 4 million Starlink customers, which is very exciting,” she said while testifying at a meeting of the state House Appropriations Committee. (This milestone was confirmed by SpaceX on Thursday.)
This milestone means SpaceX has gained 1 million new customers since the end of May alone. This outpaces the company’s already impressive growth rate. Starlink began offering beta services for its product in October 2020. It reached 1 million subscribers in December 2022, 2 million in September 2023, and 3 million in May. The constellation currently consists of approximately 6,000 satellites, and the service is available to individual users as well as large corporate customers such as major airlines and cruise lines in approximately 100 countries.
The service is expected to generate $6.6 billion in revenue this year, up from about $1.4 billion just two years ago, according to industry research and consulting firm Quilty Space.
Starlink is central to SpaceX’s overall plan to commercialize and ultimately explore space. The company continues to raise money from investors, but CEO Elon Musk has long said that revenue from broadband internet services will help fund further development of the reusable Starship rocket. I’ve said it’s helpful. Second, bringing Starship online will allow the company to launch more Starlink satellites at a faster pace.
Starlink is the undisputed satellite internet giant. Since its launch, it has gained market share from traditional incumbents such as Viasat and SES, which operate large satellites in high-altitude geostationary orbit. There are several other constellations currently in development, notably Amazon’s Project Kuiper, but have not yet entered commercial service.
