SpaceX Boosts Prices for Internet Service, Rocket Launches

Starlink, a space company led by Elon Musk, which provides broadband Internet connectivity using satellites, recently said that user kits for customers with previous deposits will increase in price from $499 to $549, but it will cost $599 for new customers. According to the release, the monthly fee for this service will be increased from $99 to $110.

Starlink has said that the sole purpose of these adjustments is to keep pace with rising inflation. The message did not specify what input costs lead to the change but said that the company has quickly added new infrastructure since October 2020 and has tripled the number of satellites in the orbit along with making improvements to its network.

Earlier this month, the CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk has said in a tweet that SpaceX and Tesla Inc are seeing significant recent inflation pressure in raw materials and logistics. California based SpaceX, Hawthorne has also raised its charges to get customers’ assets to orbit. 

The ride-share program of SpaceX, under which satellites operates reserve space on a rocket with unrelated operators, now lists costs as low as $1.1 million for specific launches on its website, taking the cost up from the previous price of $1 million. The company has said on its website that the changes were made on the website to account for the excessive levels of inflation.

A document on its website now lists the standard price to reserve the company’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket for launches at $67 million compared with an older guide that showed cost at $62 million. SpaceX has also increased the cost for Falcon Heavy, a bigger rocket than the Falcon 9, to $97 million from $90 million.