(Credit: SpaceX)
Will 2026 bring cheaper Starlink hardware? It will certainly be more plentiful as SpaceX prepares to double the manufacturing output at its Starlink factory in Bastrop, Texas.
SpaceX mentioned the goal in a newly released 2025 progress report for Starlink, which last month topped 9 million users globally, up from about 4 million a year ago.
The Texas factory was originally producing 15,000 Starlink dishes per day, or about 105,000 per week. But the site has since added 1 million more square feet. As a result, "Starlink has ramped up production capabilities to over 170,000 Starlink kits per week across the United States,” or around 9 million dishes per year, SpaceX says in its report.
"In 2026, Starlink aims to double Starlink kit production at the Bastrop site to meet rising demand for high-speed, low-latency internet," it adds. "This expansion will further scale our vertical integration in injection molding, die-casting, PCBs [printed circuit boards], and PCBA assembly, aligning with our strategy to diversify the supply chain and deliver products Engineered by SpaceX and Made in the US.”
(Credit: SpaceX)Texas is not SpaceX's only production site; it's also built Starlink hardware at its Hawthorne, California, facility. However, the increased manufacturing output suggests SpaceX is preparing to build millions of additional satellite internet dishes to reach even more consumers.
Many of those dishes will likely go to India, where the company is close to launching Starlink access after years of regulatory proceedings. The increased output also makes us wonder if SpaceX will cut prices on Starlink dish hardware even more; currently the company is selling the Starlink Mini dish for a discounted $229. Meanwhile, the standard dish is $279, though some US customers have the option to get it as a free rental.
That said, SpaceX is rumored to be working on new dish models, which could make an appearance later this year, but pricing is unknown.