SpaceX Eyes Starlink Spinoff as Next Satellite Launch Nears
SpaceX considers spinning off its Starlink broadband internet project into a separate, publicly traded company. Meanwhile, launch crews prepare to send another 60 satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral in mid-February.
SpaceX considers spinning off its Starlink broadband internet project into a separate, publicly traded company, according to President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell. Speaking at a private investor event in Miami, Shotwell explains that Starlink represents the right type of business to take public, separating it from the core SpaceX enterprise. While CEO Elon Musk maintains that the main SpaceX company remains private until it achieves human Mars flights, this potential spinoff allows outside investors to directly fund and own a piece of the satellite network.
As corporate leaders explore this financial restructuring, ground crews at Cape Canaveral actively prepare for the next mission. Teams ready a Falcon 9 rocket to launch approximately 60 additional flat-panel Starlink satellites into orbit as soon as mid-February. This upcoming flight adds to the 240 quarter-ton satellites SpaceX already deploys through dedicated launches since May 2019, with half of that total reaching orbit just this year.
Beyond the rapid satellite deployments, SpaceX quietly develops the critical user terminals that allow consumers, businesses, and military aircraft to connect to the low-latency network. The company currently demonstrates impressive capabilities, including a test that beams data to a military airplane at speeds of 610 megabits per second. Despite these technical milestones, SpaceX keeps specific details regarding consumer pricing and expected bandwidth limits under wraps for now.