(Credit: SpaceX)
SpaceX has published a rare behind-the-scenes video of its Starlink dish factory in Bastrop, Texas, which is preparing to expand.
According to the video, the factory is already producing 15,000 Starlink dishes per day — which amounts to nearly 5.5 million dishes per year.
The same facility is set to expand by over 1 million square feet this year, for approximately 1.7 million square footage in total. As a result, it looks like the factory is poised to increase its production rate; earlier reports said the site can churn out 4.6 million dishes per year.
The site has been manufacturing the standard Starlink dish, which involves processing raw plastic pellets and aluminum to fashion the hardware’s casing. The video offers glimpses of the entire production process, including using robotics to create the phased array antenna and printed circuit board for the dish.
In addition, the video mentions SpaceX’s efforts to streamline manufacturing when the first Starlink dish models initially cost $3,000 or more to make, forcing it to sell the equipment for a loss until about 2023.
“Our previous generation of the production line was maxed out in terms of capability,” Alexandra Noe, senior director of Starlink production, says in the video. In response, SpaceX forced itself to “innovate” when developing the Texas facility, allowing the company to constantly improve the production process, Noe says.
The factory has also been serving an ever-growing customer base. Last Friday, SpaceX reported that Starlink users have reached 5 million globally, up from 4 million about five months ago.
In September, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell also noted that the Texas factory would soon become the largest printed circuit board plant in the US. About 1,000 staffers work at the site. In addition to Bastrop, SpaceX produces Starlink dishes at its Hawthorne, California, offices.