United Announces Onboard Starlink Wi-Fi; Astronomers Warn of Interference Concerns

Kevin Kearney Sr. Staff Writer

Updated 20 September 2024

WhistleOut fast facts

Free Starlink Wi-Fi will be available for all United Airlines passengers by late 2025.
United's CEO promises customers will get high-speed service that will parallel the typical Starlink experience.
A recent report says Starlink's rapid growth is interfering with astronomers' essential work.

United Airlines will offer free onboard Wi-Fi via Starlink, the SpaceX-powered satellite internet company. The airline says testing will begin in 2025, and it hopes the service will be available for passengers later that year.

Airline Wi-Fi is nothing new. Some airlines charge passengers for it, while others—including Alaska, American, Delta, and United—have partnered with carriers like T-Mobile, which provides customers complimentary connectivity through its In-Flight Connection perk.

A Starlink dish pointed at SpaceX's satellite constellation.
Image: Tarcisio Schnaider

United’s plan for Starlink Wi-Fi, though, breaks the mold. For one, it will be free for all passengers, whether or not they are Starlink subscribers. In addition, passengers should expect better onboard service. Starlink’s high-speed internet, powered by the world’s largest satellite constellation, can reach up to 150Mbps, even in remote areas. According to United, passengers will have similar speeds onboard. "Everything you can do on the ground, you'll soon be able to do onboard a United plane at 35,000 feet, just about anywhere in the world," United CEO Scott Kirby said in a statement.

Starlink’s rapid growth comes at a cost, astronomers say

The United announcement follows several other recent developments for Starlink, including a similar collaboration with WestJet in Canada and a wireless partnership with T-Mobile in the U.S. According to astronomers, the company’s rapid growth comes at a cost.

A study in Astronomy & Astrophysics reports that SpaceX’s newest satellite, the second-generation V2-Mini, emits unintended electromagnetic radiation, or UEMR, that’s up to 32 times more powerful than the first-generation satellite. The satellites disrupt the study of exoplanets and black holes, endangering the work of astronomers trying to understand the universe.

In an interview with Space.com, Jessica Dempsey, Director of the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy said, “[SpaceX] launch 40 satellites a week. So, it's so vitally important that we work together immediately to make sure that we have some conviction that these satellites are going to be quiet as soon as we can."

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Kevin Kearney

Sr. Staff Writer

Kevin is an experienced journalist and writer whose musings on tech, education, and culture have appeared in Stereogum, InsideHook, The Millions, and elsewhere. As a Senior Staff Writer for WhistleOut, he offers unique expertise on the inner workings of the mobile industry, and has a particular passion for emerging efficiencies within smartphone apps.

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