Ars Live: How profitable is Starlink? We dig into the details of satellite internet.

SpaceX began launching operational Starlink satellites five years ago this month. Since then, the company has rapidly developed its constellation of broadband satellites in low Earth orbit. SpaceX has now launched about 6,000 satellites with its Falcon 9 rocket and fulfilled its promise of providing fast internet around the world. Today, the company is the world’s largest satellite operator by a factor of 10.

But is this huge project to deliver the Internet from space profitable?

According to a new report from Quilty Space, the answer is Yes. Quilty built a model to evaluate Starlink’s profitability. First, the researchers evaluated revenues. The company estimates this will grow to $6.6 billion in 2024, up from zero just four years ago. In addition to rapidly growing its subscriber base of about 3 million, SpaceX has also managed to control costs. Based on its model, Quilty estimates that Starlink’s free cash flow from the company will be about $600 million this year.

So, what does it mean for the industry that Starlink has gone from zero to profitability in five years? What’s next for the network? Are there credible competitors to Starlink in OneWeb, Amazon’s Project Kuiper, or other planned mega-constellations? Can low Earth orbit accommodate all these satellites?

Please join me to discuss Starlink and these questions with Caleb Henry, Director of Research at Quilty. Henry is a true expert in the field of satellite internet, and we will touch on this topic. We will also take your questions.

This will be the first Ars Live event we’ve done in a few years. During these discussions, Ars Technica reporters and editors talk with industry leaders about today’s top tech and science news. So please join us at 2pm ET (18:00 UTC) on June 11 We have a live broadcast on YouTube.

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