(Credit: SpaceX)
SpaceX is supporting another use case for its portable Starlink Mini dish: Bringing satellite internet to small planes.
Starlink.com site has been updated with several support articles about the Mini dish’s ability to offer Wi-Fi access in small aircraft, despite the lack of FAA authorization.
“For smaller General Aviation aircraft or for aircraft that we do not have an STC [Supplemental Type Certificates] for yet, Starlink Mini may be used as a Portable Electronic Device (PED), on the interior of an aircraft only,” the company wrote in a support article.
SpaceX adds: “Note, this use of Starlink Mini has not been certified or otherwise approved by the FAA or any other civil aviation authority.” Still, federal rules say an operator can use a portable electronic device on a plane — so long as the device won’t “cause interference with the navigation or communication system of the aircraft on which it is to be used.”
“Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the aircraft operator to determine the antenna position and installation that is optimal, safe, and does not interfere with the operation of the aircraft,” SpaceX says.
A few plane owners have already used the Mini dish in flight, receiving download rates of more than 100Mbps. Using a Mini dish on a plane usually requires placing it at the cockpit’s window for a large enough view of the open sky to receive data from orbiting Starlink satellites.
For small aircraft traveling at less than 100 knots (about 115mph), SpaceX says the Mini dish can be used in the air with the Roam 50GB data plan, the unlimited Roam plan, and the Mobile Priority plan. At faster speeds, the plane operator will need to subscribe to an Aviation Business plan, which can start at $2,000 per month.
For small plane owners, SpaceX also notes: "To optimize your connection, orient the (Mini dish) terminal facing north when flying in the northern hemisphere. Conversely, orient the terminal facing south in the southern hemisphere."
The FAA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But in the meantime, another SpaceX support article notes that it's working to receive authorization to offer custom Starlink hardware for all major plane models. In 2022, the company officially introduced its Starlink Aviation business, which has been fitting Starlink dishes on private jets and commercial airliners.
UPDATE 12/17: The FAA told PCMag: "An aircraft operator is responsible for ensuring devices don’t interfere with communications or navigations systems. The FAA does not perform these evaluations. The relevant regulation is here."