Starlink is the world’s largest low-orbit satellite Internet constellation proposed by SpaceX in the United States in 2015. It has the characteristics of high transmission rate, wide coverage, short delay, and easy mobile deployment. In recent years, the construction of Starlink has been in full swing. In order to deal with the potential threats that Starlink may bring, my country has launched the construction of the “GW” constellation and the “G60” constellation, which have now entered the high-frequency launch stage. As the construction of my country’s satellite Internet constellation continues to advance, its commercial application value will be further released. A deep and comprehensive understanding of the development trend and ideas of Starlink is of great significance for promoting the high-speed and high-quality development of satellite Internet and seizing the commanding heights of future science and technology.
1. Market expansion path
SpaceX takes the rigid demand market as its entry point and gradually expands into potential markets. First of all, SpaceX has opened Starlink services such as maritime, aviation, and land mobile for scenarios with urgent needs such as ocean, aviation, and land. In terms of maritime affairs, more than 10 shipping and shipping companies, including Sespan, the world’s largest container ship leasing company, Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd, and Denmark’s Maersk Group, have trialed or launched Starlink maritime services; in terms of aviation, companies such as Hawaiian Airlines, Air Baltic, Delta Air Lines, and Qatar Airways have provided in-flight network services to passengers through Starlink. Secondly, SpaceX launches exclusive service plans for high-value users to expand the market space. Since 2018, SpaceX has carried out dozens of cooperations with the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Army, etc., mainly on Starlink service development, testing, exercise applications, etc. At the end of 2022, based on the technology and launch capabilities of “Starlink”, SpaceX officially launched the Starshield program focused on serving government, national defense and intelligence agencies to enhance the US military’s space system flexibility and diversified space military application capabilities. Finally, SpaceX relies on the first-generation Starlink satellite to innovatively launch diversified personal communication services, providing anytime and anywhere connection services for residential, roaming, maritime mobile and other communication blind spots. Users can book and purchase on demand. At the same time, SpaceX uses its second-generation Starlink satellite to cooperate with many operators around the world to launch direct-connect mobile phone services, allowing ordinary smartphones to connect to satellites without hardware modification and enjoy text, voice and data services.
2. Industrialization development ideas
SpaceX has rapidly built a strong industrial chain moat by continuously strengthening resource integration and introduction. In terms of launch vehicles, SpaceX’s rocket recycling and reuse technology has become the norm, which not only reduces the launch cost of Starlink, but also improves the launch efficiency of Starlink. Since the first vertical landing recovery of a rocket in 2015, SpaceX has achieved 500 recoveries in 9 years, almost reshaping human understanding of launch vehicles. In terms of satellite development, SpaceX uses modular design to build automated production lines and testing equipment for laser communication equipment, solar panels, etc., to achieve large-scale batch manufacturing. According to data released by SpaceX at the end of August this year, the production capacity of the Starlink factory can reach 10 per day. In terms of terminals, SpaceX has teamed up with global industry-leading terminal electronic component suppliers such as STMicroelectronics and Micron to develop terminal equipment through a combination of external procurement and independent research and development. In terms of commercial operation services, SpaceX has quickly absorbed relevant cutting-edge technologies through a large number of mergers and acquisitions to provide customer service capabilities. For example, SpaceX acquired Swarm Technology to gain overall access to its satellite IoT-related technologies and resources.
3. International cooperation
From near to far, SpaceX will gradually accelerate the penetration of Starlink services around the world by first cooperating with countries with close relations with the United States. In the early stages of development, limited by Starlink’s initial deployment orbit selection and satellite signal coverage, SpaceX first cooperated with the EU and NATO member states to implement Starlink services. With the gradual deployment of Starlink, SpaceX has gradually expanded Starlink services to most parts of Africa and Asia. In October 2022, Japan launched Starlink services, becoming the first country in Asia to launch Starlink services. Since then, African and Asian countries such as Nigeria, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Malawi, Myanmar, Malaysia, Zambia, Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam, and Indonesia have also approved the launch of Starlink services. From the perspective of implementation scenarios, Starlink is not only used for communications in remote areas, emergency rescue and disaster relief, but also for geopolitical tools, military application testing, etc. For example, the Japanese Self-Defense Force verified the feasibility of using Starlink Internet services to enhance existing high-orbit satellite communication capabilities.
