I am having my first ever @Starlink experience on an airplane right now. It’s incredible.
I am getting reliable Wi-Fi speeds of 370+ Mbps, about 215x faster than the non-Starlink flight I was just on before this.
My United Airlines plane is cruising at 576 mph and 35,000 ft, and I’m getting WiFi speeds comparable to what you’d get at home. Wild.
For folks following along, today was the first time we lit engines on a full stack Starship then aborted and detanked. While similar to a wet dress rehearsal there is a lot going on and any first time operation comes with additional risk.
Our operators and operations teams plan for this and it’s a testament to their hard work and preparation that enables an efficient and safe operation on the first try. For all the folks who stayed up late reviewing data to set aborts, running endless simulations or needling on the details of procedures, it paid off today.
Awesome! 🔥
A British Expat Build a Free Global @Starlink Flight Tracker after frustrating in-flight WiFi Experiences.
https://t.co/Ykm2Hvh9XY provides real-time predictions for Starlink WiFi availability across 202 airlines and thousands of routes, solving travelers’ frustration with inconsistent in-flight internet quality.
“I was tired of boarding flights hoping for decent internet and getting disappointed,” said Raeburn. “Airlines announce Starlink partnerships but never tell you which specific planes actually have the equipment installed. You could book the same route on the same airline and get completely different WiFi experiences.”
The tracker provides real-time predictions by cross-referencing flight tracking data with known Starlink-equipped aircraft.
Users can search by flight number or airline to receive confidence scores ranging from “Confirmed” to “Unlikely” for Starlink availability.
There has been a lot of press claiming @SpaceX is raising money at $800B, which is not accurate.
SpaceX has been cash flow positive for many years and does periodic stock buybacks twice a year to provide liquidity for employees and investors.
Valuation increments are a function of progress with Starship and Starlink and securing global direct-to-cell spectrum that greatly increases our addressable market.
And one other thing that is arguably most significant by far.