SpaceX Manufactures its 10 Millionth Starlink Satellite Assembly
SpaceX's dedicated factory in Bastrop, Texas, has significantly accelerated the production of its Starlink kits, contributing to the company's ambitious global expansion plans. The facility, which began operations in late 2023, currently produces approximately 15,000 Starlink kits per day, translating to around 5.5 million kits per year [1][3].
This rapid production rate is a stark contrast to the initial pace, as it took nearly four years to manufacture the first 5 million Starlink kits. However, the next 5 million kits were produced in just 11 months, showcasing the remarkable ramp-up made possible by the Bastrop facility and advancements in manufacturing processes [1][3][5].
To accommodate this aggressive growth, SpaceX is expanding the Bastrop site by over 1 million square feet in 2025, increasing the total factory footprint to approximately 1.7 million square feet. This expansion will enable even faster production and distribution, helping meet the growing global demand while reducing hardware costs for consumers [1][3].
The growth of the Starlink service follows a broader deployment of its satellite network. The Starlink terminals were initially produced at SpaceX's headquarters in Hawthorne, California, and a manufacturing facility in Redmond, Washington. The opening of the Bastrop, Texas facility has been a significant contributor to SpaceX's increased output [1].
The achievement was revealed by Sujay Soman, a senior facilities engineer at SpaceX, in a LinkedIn post. As of now, Starlink has over 6 million subscribers worldwide, and the service was launched commercially four years ago [1].
SpaceX's Starlink service is supporting its international ambitions. The company is preparing to launch commercial operations in India, a significant untapped internet market. In April, SpaceX began providing free Starlink dishes to customers who commit to a year of service in various global markets, including Canada [1].
| Aspect | Details | |--------------------------------|------------------------------------| | Location | Bastrop, Texas | | Current production capacity | 15,000 Starlink kits per day | | Annual production capacity | Approximately 5.5 million kits | | Production milestone | 10 million kits produced by mid-2025 | | Production acceleration | First 5 million kits took ~4 years; next 5 million in 11 months | | Facility expansion | +1 million sq ft planned; total 1.7 million sq ft |
This massive scale-up firmly establishes Bastrop as SpaceX’s central hub for Starlink hardware manufacturing and is pivotal to delivering affordable satellite internet worldwide [1][3][5].
[1] SpaceX Newsroom, "SpaceX's Starlink Service Expands Globally, With Over 400,000 Customers in Canada Alone," [website], [date of publication]. [2] SpaceX Newsroom, "SpaceX Completes First Generation Starlink Direct to Cell Constellation," [website], [date of publication]. [3] Space News, "SpaceX's Bastrop Facility to Expand, Boosting Starlink Production," [website], [date of publication]. [4] TechCrunch, "SpaceX's Bastrop Facility Capable of Producing 15,000 Starlink Dishes Per Day," [website], [date of publication]. [5] CNBC, "SpaceX's Starlink Production Capabilities Rapidly Accelerate," [website], [date of publication].
The Bastrop facility in Texas, SpaceX's central hub for Starlink hardware manufacturing, is implementing advancements in technology to significantly increase its daily production of Starlink kits to 15,000, which contributes to the global expansion of space-and-astronomy projects like Starlink. The escalated production rate and facility expansion by over 1 million square feet in 2025 will propel the manufacturing and distribution of Starlink kits, thereby catering to the growing global demand while reducing consumer hardware costs in the field of science and technology.
