(Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
SpaceX has been quiet about its upcoming "Starlink mini" dish, but a new firmware release indicates the miniaturized model may launch soon.
The finding comes from an embedded systems engineer from Ukraine named Oleg Kutkov, who repairs and mods Starlink dishes in the country. He spotted a new mention of the Starlink mini dish in SpaceX’s latest firmware release for the satellite dish hardware.
Kutkov previously found references to a “mini1_proto0” and “mini1_proto1” in earlier firmware releases. But on Tuesday, he noticed a reference to a “mini1_prod1,” which he says indicates the Starlink mini dish is finally “production-ready.”
“The upcoming Starlink Mini terminal should be released soon,” he said in a post on Twitter/X.
In another tweet, Kutkov added that the upcoming Starlink mini dish should feature a more compact design compared to the existing hardware.
The FCC approved SpaceX’s application to operate the Starlink mini dish in September, and a few months later, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk told employees the company would be "introducing the Starlink mini later this year, which can fit in a backpack."
So far, the release date and pricing have not been revealed. But the arrival of a more portable Starlink dish could spur sales for the satellite internet system when SpaceX is trying to attract more subscribers.
In the meantime, Kutkov also found evidence that SpaceX might be testing other prototype Starlink dishes for a future release. “The latest Starlink firmware contains a description of the new rev4-based prototype hardware: REV4_CATAPULT_PROTO.1 I'm not sure what it is,” he said in another tweet.
In 2023, the FCC cleared SpaceX to test up to 200 next-generation Starlink dish designs.