WASHINGTON – Elon Musk’sSpaceX is adamant that an antenna designed for aviation could connect Starlink with aircrafts.

SpaceX vice-president Jonathan Hofeller, said Monday during the Satellite 2022 conference that “connectivity on aircrafts is something we believe needs an overhaul.”

SpaceX began Starlink service in 2005 and has been talking about disrupting this market. Hofeller claimed that the expectations of air passengers for internet service have changed more quickly than the technology. This creates an opportunity for Starlink.

Our approach to the sky’s connectivity is very similar to how it works at home. You just need to walk in your house, and you will see the internet working. It’s simple. Hofeller stated that it’s fast.

For inflight Wi Fi, airlines work with satellite broadband companies. Viasat and Intelsat – the latter of which purchased Gogo’s commercial aviation business – two such companies that add connectivity on flights by airlines including Delta, JetBlue, American Airlines and United. But, while existing services use satellites in distant orbits, Starlink satellites orbit closer to the EarthAnd could boost the speeds that passengers see in-flight. Additionally, the global mesh of Starlink satellites would mean aircraft could connect to the internet without disruption.

“We believe in a future where connectivity is abundant, you’re not scrapping for kilobits per second here. It’s so much that people get on the planeAnd they stream just like they do in their home, so we’re designing a service that every single passenger on that plan can stream simultaneously if need be,” Hofeller said.

SpaceX currently tests Starlink terminals for aviation, which are also called satellite antennas. Hofeller stated that SpaceX is still “going through the certifications”, which will allow it to be approved for terminals on a range of aircraft.

An Embraer worker was asked by a conference participant to provide more information. Hofeller claimed that SpaceX is making Starlink terminals lighter and smaller, but didn’t go further. Hofeller invited Embraer’s representative to speak privately with SpaceX “about our technology on the aviation side.”

SpaceX has successfully launched more than 2,000 Starlink Satellites so far to help its worldwide network.

Hofeller stated that SpaceX has approximately 250,000 Starlink subscribers. This includes enterprise and consumer customers. Starlink subscribers pay $99 per month for standard services and $500 for premium.