Starship changes the game: Starlink network capacity set to surge

According to official data released by SpaceX, a single flight of the Starship rocket carrying future Starlink V3 satellites could deploy about 60 units into orbit and increase network throughput by approximately 61,000 Gbps. For comparison, a single Falcon 9 flight with 27 Starlink V2 satellites adds only 2,600 Gbps of capacity. This was reported by Ixbt.com .

Calculations suggest that one Starship flight is theoretically equivalent to 23 Falcon 9 flights in terms of added network capacity. On a program scale, this means that ten flights with Starlink V3 satellites are capable of doubling the current total throughput of the entire Starlink network. Such a dramatic leap is linked to the transition to new-generation satellites that increase data transmission density and orbital constellation efficiency.

The new Starlink V3 satellites provide over 10 times more throughput than the V2 model — each can deliver speeds exceeding 1 Tbps. There are plans to increase the number of units by 10 times in the future, resulting in a total system capacity growth of over 100 times. Previously, SpaceX introduced its first space data center designed for AI computations under the codename AI1.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk emphasized that creating orbital data processing centers for AI is not a complex engineering task. The company also showcased new-generation Starlink terminals. These devices are expected to be produced in much larger volumes than current models.