SpaceX plans to fit laser links to its Starlink satellites so they can beam the internet to planes for in-flight WiFi

SpaceX plans to fit laser links to its Starlink satellites so they can beam the internet to planes for in-flight WiFi

SpaceX could soon provide in-flight WiFi to airline passengers via its Starlink satellite internet service, first reported on Wednesday. Elon Musk's space company was in talks with commercial airlines to beam Starlink internet to their airplanes, Jonathan Hofeller, SpaceX's vice president of Starlink and commercial sales, said during the Connected Aviation Intelligence Summit on Wednesday, per the Verge. "We're in talks with several of the airlines," Hofeller said. "We have our own aviation product in development “¦ we've already done some demonstrations to date, and looking to get that product finalized to be put on aircraft in the very near future." Starlink mainly serves through its 1,635 low-Earth orbit satellites. A beta upfront, plus $99 a month for a subscription. SpaceX plans to use airline antennas, which work in a similar way to existing user terminals but have "obvious enhancements for aviation connectivity," Hofeller said. The company would design and build tech specific for aircraft, he added. SpaceX would start connecting each Starlink satellite with laser links that don't need to bounce off ground stations. This would mean airplanes flying over remote areas, such as oceans, can still offer in-flight internet. "The next generation of our constellation, which is in