Starlink’s New On-the-Go Satellite Dish Can Fit On Your Backpack

Vanlife can now be streaming-Netflix-and-checking-emails-life.

After weeks of anticipation, SpaceX’s Starlink Mini is finally available everywhere in the US. The small antenna costs $599 and requires a subscription between $50 and $150 a month to use. 

Starlink doesn’t require contracts, so you can start and stop service at any time, and it comes with a 30-day trial. The Mini is a satellite dish and Wi-Fi router all in one that’s about the size of a laptop, and it uses approximately half the power of Starlink’s standard dish, according to Starlink’s website. It can be powered with a portable USB battery, and Starlink says it can “melt snow and withstand sleet, heavy rain and harsh winds.” 

This is the first time that high-speed internet will be available on-the-go in areas that aren’t reached by cell towers. You could backpack the Appalachian Trail or take your RV on a cross-country road trip and still watch the latest House of the Dragon at the end of the night. 

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk discussed the Mini in a post on X in June, writing “I just set it up right now and am writing this post through space. Took less than 5 mins. Easily carried in a backpack. This product will change the world.” Musk then showed speed test results of 100Mbps download speed, 11.5Mbps upload speed and 23ms latency. 

Starlink says the Mini will work anywhere in North America. There are two plans available. The Mini Roam costs $50 per month and gets you 50GB of portable or in-motion data each month, or about 20 hours of HD streaming. The Regional plan costs $150 and provides unlimited mobile data, with the option to pay by the GB for in-motion use. 

The device measures 16.92 x 13.14 x 3.11 inches and weighs a little under 15 pounds. Starlink says it works in temperatures between -22°F and 122°F, and is IP67 dust and water resistant.