Connecting RVs and Trucks via Starlink Satellites

SpaceX is working on an antenna that will connect vehicles such as semi-trucks and recreational vehicles to its satellite internet network, CEO Elon Musk said in a tweet on Monday.

Musk clarified that the antenna will not be intended to “connect Tesla cars to Starlink”, saying the “user terminal is way too big”.

“It’s for airplanes, ships, large trucks, and recreational vehicles,” Musk said.

Musk was responding to CNBC’s report that SpaceX had sought permission from the Federal Communications Commission to begin deploying an antenna for its Starlink service on “moving vehicles.”

Starlink is the company’s capital-intensive project to build an interconnected Internet network with thousands of satellites, known in the space industry as a constellation, designed to provide high-speed Internet access to consumers all over the planet.

SpaceX Director of Satellite Policy David Goldman wrote in a letter to the FCC on Friday that “the volume of traffic flowing on global networks has skyrocketed,” adding that “users are no longer willing to give up connectivity when traveling “.

“This application would serve the public interest by authorizing a new class of ground-based components for SpaceX’s satellite system, which would expand the range of high-speed capabilities available to vehicles moving across the United States and for ships and aircraft in motion around the world, ”Goldman wrote.

Musk’s space company last year applied to the FCC for permission to conduct experimental trials on private jets and with its maritime fleet of ships. But Friday’s request is for a much broader “general license” for operations. SpaceX noted that FCC rules “do not require applicants to submit a maximum number of user terminals to be deployed,” so the company did not indicate the number of vehicle terminals it plans to build. .