Starlink is growing much more slowly than SpaceX had hoped. The original goal was twenty million users by 2022, but today there are only one and a half million.

The numbers come from a presentation on Starlink’s annual results, which the Wall Street Journal was able to obtain. Starlink ended 2022 with one and a half million users and revenue of $1.4 million. The first quarterly figures of 2023 add another 55 million in operating profit.

Starlink’s numbers are rising, as the satellite antennas brought $222 million to SpaceX’s coffers in 2021. Still, the company had hoped to be much further ahead today. The Wall Street Journal points to a presentation from 2015 in which Starlink targeted twenty million users, twelve billion dollars in sales and seven billion dollars in profits by 2022. So there is still a lot to do for SpaceX and Starlink.

Starlink internet is now available in most European countries, including Belgium since 2021. Still, you may only know a few people who actually use it. Starlink’s aim is mainly to bring the Internet to places that broadband solutions cannot reach, and there are only a few locations in Belgium.

The high startup costs can also be an obstacle. To connect to SpaceX’s satellite network, you have to pay 499 euros for the dish and antenna, as well as 60 euros in shipping costs. After that, the subscription costs 99 euros per month.

Ukraine

The company faces a potentially thorny problem. According to rumors from the front lines in Ukraine, Starlink thwarted a counteroffensive by the Ukrainian army by not activating satellites in Crimea. Elon Musk does not want to give any further explanations for the time being.