(Photo by Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
SpaceX appears to have opened the first physical store for its satellite internet service.
A user on X posted an image of a Starlink shop in Gretna, Nebraska, which contains "a great lineup of products, along with merch," they wrote. The Nebraska Crossing shopping mall also lists the Starlink store in its directory.
Meanwhile, a user on Reddit also reported receiving an email from SpaceX announcing four Starlink stores in the US. Three are located in Nebraska, while the fourth is at the Empire Mall in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
"Visit our new store locations to purchase, activate, and pick up your Starlink Kit in person. Take the opportunity to learn about installation, speeds, reliability, and more," says the email, which the Reddit user "WistfulDevil" shared with PCMag.
(SpaceX/Starlink)The websites for the three remaining shopping malls don't list the Starlink stores yet. Instead, the company's email links to the shopping malls' locations on Google Maps.
SpaceX didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, making it unclear if the stores are meant to be permanent or merely temporary pop-ups.
In the US, SpaceX has offered satellite internet service online at Starlink.com and through third-party retailers, including Best Buy and Walmart, which carry the hardware in-store. But a couple of months ago, SpaceX quietly signaled it was ready to explore physical retail sales with a job listing for a Starlink Store Manager in Bakersfield, California. The listing is still active.
The retail effort comes as SpaceX has become even more aggressive in trying to attract new Starlink sign-ups in the US through various deals, discounts, and even a new Residential 100Mbps plan for $40 per month in select locations.
The satellite internet service currently has over 2 million active users in the US. But Starlink is poised to expand its reach through a federal program designed to subsidize internet access in underserved areas. In addition, SpaceX this year began delivering satellite connectivity to phones in the US through T-Mobile; it will soon expand to Boost Mobile.
More recently, SpaceX began selling Starlink accessories on Amazon—just as Amazon prepares to launch its own rival to Starlink, known as Leo.