A brand new, ultra-portable Starlink is set to debut later this year, according to Elon Musk. In a recent speech, covering several SpaceX topics, Musk talked about Starlink, and the new user terminals launching this year. One of the devices, Starlink’s Gen 3 “Standard” dish, has already been launched in the US. The other device, which Musk referred to as Starlink “Mini”, will be released sometime later this year.
“We will be introducing the Starlink Mini later this year, which can fit in a backpack.”
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX/Starlink
The speech, which you can view in this SpaceX post, covered several exciting Starlink developments and goals. According to Musk, Starlink should be available to around half the world’s population by the end of 2024. Musk reiterated Starlink’s mission of providing high speed, low latency broadband internet to rural and underserved areas, and emphasized how devices like the Starlink Mini, and their new ground station gateways, help to advance that mission.
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Starlink Mini is small enough to fit in a backpack
Musk’s claim that the new Starlink Mini dish will fit in a backpack is supported by recent FCC filings by Starlink. In one filing, Starlink lists the dimensions of the antenna to be about 10″ x 12″, or roughly the size of a laptop.
The Starlink Mini will be about half the size of the current Starlink Standard dish. The smaller form factor would be a welcome feature for hikers, campers, or anyone else needing an ultra-portable Starlink dish. Musk didn’t offer many specifics beyond how small the Mini would be.
Price and other details remain unknown
Beyond the dimensions of the new Mini dish, Musk didn’t give any other specific details. The cost of the Starlink Mini dish will be at the top of most peoples concerns. The new Mini dish should cost the same or less than the current Standard hardware. It would be hard to imagine Starlink releasing a smaller, weaker antenna for a higher price.
Half the size, half the power?
Another detail contained in the FCC filings for the Mini dish is the power output of the phased array antenna. The Mini dish, due to its smaller size, is a less capable antenna overall. Don’t expect to get the fastest internet speeds with the Mini dish. What’s more important for portable use cases is the power draw of the Mini system, which should be significantly less than the current hardware.
The Gen 3 Starlink Standard dish uses 75-100 watts on average. I expect the Starlink Mini dish to use a lot less, maybe around 30-50 watts. Customers who use batteries or solar for electricity will appreciate the lower power requirements of the Mini.
Although we don’t have any details at this time, many Starlink customers are hoping for a DC power supply option for the new Mini dish. All current Starlink units require AC power from a wall outlet or an inverter. If the Starlink Mini is targeted towards nomads and travelers, it makes sense to offer some kind of DC power adapter accessory, so that the Mini dish could run off a battery, solar, or a vehicle.
Starlink Mini might compete with Amazon’s portable dish
2024 will be an exciting year for satellite internet, and not only because Starlink plans to launch the Mini dish. Amazon’s Project Kuiper is set to ramp up production of their satellites, and has launches scheduled throughout the year. In recent updates shared on their blog, Amazon says they hope to start offering service by the end of the year.
In one of the updates, Amazon shares some details on the Project Kuiper user terminals. Like Starlink, Project Kuiper plans to offer a variety of hardware options, from a powerful enterprise dish, to a home internet dish, all the way down to a portable mini dish. Starlink Mini will likely be competing directly against Project Kuiper’s mini dish when it is launched later this year.
My Starlink Mini feature wishlist
I’ve been thinking about the Starlink Mini a lot, since I first saw the FCC filings last year. It will be a game changer for portable internet. Although the current Starlink dishes can be used in portable situations, they are kind of big and awkward to transport. Not to mention more difficult to power, due to the lack of a DC power adapter.
Here is a list of features that I hope Starlink implements for the new Mini dish:
- DC power option
- Non-actuated design (no motors or mast)
- Foldable tripod mount
- Mounting accessories (vehicle roof mount, magnet mount, etc)
Final thoughts
I’m curious to know what you think about the Starlink Mini, and what features you think it should have. Personally, I’m excited for another form factor to join the lineup. Starlink offers the large, Flat High Performance dish for enterprise customers and power users. Then you have the Standard and Standard Actuated dishes, that work for a variety of applications. A Mini is just what Starlink needs to fill out their product lineup, and give customers a complete set of hardware options.
Great article.
Here’s what I would like:
1. USB-C power input (let’s keep this modern)
2. 12V to USB-C optional adapter for those who need that
3. Mount option for inside the Tesla glass roof (probably with suction cups).
4. Wi-Fi with low power consumption included in the dish (only one device).
5. I probably would like an ethernet port, but since it’s a mini, I doubt it. Perhaps rather an USB-C adapter that you plug at the power input that splits power input and ethernet output (sounds weird but I have a screen that does just that so it’s possible).
I plan on mounting it to the ceiling of my Tesla year-round, and keep the option of grabbing it for on-the-go use, together with a USB-C capable battery bank.
Hoping the power stays below 30W normally, accepting 60W for boot up.
So excited about this. Incredible stuff guys!
Hi We are going to buy Starlink in best form for travelling- we are travelling in a caravan in Australia- the Mini sounds like our God send as long as it is compatible to inverter or 12v plug.
The question is when we return home will the Mini be suitable for good quality results in house use or will we need to investigate other dish options.
Hope to hear from you soon,
Kind regards Bruce Woods.
We will have to wait and see, but I’m guessing the Mini will perform fine as a home internet option.
Thanks for the information-if you hear anything more please keep me posted.
Kind Regards Bruce.
Thanks for the write up on this, you clearly understand the market. I’m glad I didn’t purchase the new large flat fold dish as they released it without announcing plans for the mini, which would mean I’d be turning around and purchasing yet another dish later. Other than that annoyance, I’m very excited about this product since I work remotely and need to video conference while traveling. There’s now plug and play DC power options but that still requires some effort to get set up on a 12 volt RV system, which isn’t a big deal and I don’t think SpaceX is missing the small revenue from a third party producing the accessory.
If they release it with a DC power accessory, the Mini would knock it out of the park. Like you said, a lot of nomads and other travelers want something small and portable. The Standard dish is even larger than the previous generation, so RV’ers and other travelers are just waiting for something like the Mini to come to the market.
I WANT THE STARLINK MINI NOW. I CAN SEE THE VALUE OF BEING ABLE TO NOT ONLY HAVE IT FOR INTERNET BUT IN EMERGENCY’S LIKE NATURAL DISASTERS, BUT IN REMOTE AREAS IN TIMES OF WAR.
We want to put a MINI Dish on our offroad camper trailer. NOW would be nice for summer.