SpaceX Could Partner With Indian Companies To Manufacture Starlink Devices

SpaceX will soon achieve global Starlink broadband coverage. Company officials said that global connectivity could come as soon as September this year. SpaceX is already accepting service pre-orders via Starlink.com on a ‘first-come, first-served basis’. “We've successfully deployed 1,800 or so satellites and once all those satellites reach their operational orbit, we will have continuous global coverage, so that should be like September timeframe,” SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said in June. Each Internet-beaming Starlink satellite is equipped with a single solar array and krypton-powered ion thrusters that are utilized to rise into its operational orbit. Once the all satellites reach their designated orbit they can start beaming signal to the user terminals on Earth. –“But then we have regulatory work to go into every country and get approved to provide telecoms services,” she added. SpaceX founder Elon Musk recently said that Starlink already provides service to 12 countries and over 69,420 users.

Currently, SpaceX manufactures the Starlink satellites and user hardware in the United States at a facility in Redmond, Washington State. This week, reports surfaced stating that SpaceX could partner with Indian companies to manufacture Starlink devices. India’s Department of Telecommunications held a conference on Monday with several satellite companies to discuss potential partnerships to bring reliable broadband service and technology jobs to the country. During the conference, SpaceX’s Director of Global Satellite Affairs Matt Botwin had a discussion with India's Department of Telecommunications secretary Anshu Prakash, in which they discussed the Starlink satellite network – according to a report by Telecom.com. “SpaceX is excited to find ways to work together with the Indian industry for manufacturing products for its Starlink devices,” Botwin said. Manufacturing Starlink in India, would enable more efficiency to serve the local population. SpaceX “is now looking forward to working with its partners in India to recognize those opportunities,” he said.

“SpaceX has been working with the Indian industrial sector for a long time, buying steel and steel-tubing for many of its rockets,” Botwin told reporters. Now, the company could partner with Indian companies to manufacture devices that are utilized to connect users to the Starlink satellite constellation. Some of the devices that could be manufactured are: the Starlink Wi-Fi router, phased-array dish antenna, along power and mounting equipment. Starlink service will be available in India until 2022.

Featured Image Source: SpaceX