According to the Verge, SpaceX's vice president of Starlink and commercial sales, Jonathan Hofeller, revealed during the Connected Aviation Intelligence Summit on Wednesday that his business was in discussion with commercial airlines to beam Starlink internet to their flights.
"We're in discussions with a number of airlines," Hofeller added. "We're working on our own aviation product... We've already completed some demos and are working to perfect the product so that it may be installed on planes in the near future."
Starlink's 1,635 low-Earth orbit satellites mostly serve rural regions. A beta kit costs $499 up front, with a monthly subscription costing $99 per month.
SpaceX intends to employ airline antennas, which work similarly to existing user terminals but offer "clear aviation connection benefits," according to Hofeller. He went on to say that the company would create and manufacture aircraft-specific technology.
SpaceX would begin connecting each Starlink satellite with laser links that would eliminate the requirement for ground stations to bounce signals. This means that planes flying over distant locations like oceans can still provide in-flight internet.
In March, the space company requested in a filing to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that it connect moving vehicles, including planes, ships, and large trucks, to Starlink, a constellation which could have up to 42,000 satellites in orbit by mid-2027.
