Starlink can serve 500,000 users easily, several million “more of a challenge”

SpaceX has received more than 500,000 orders for Starlink broadband service. The preorders required a $99 deposit for service that would be available in the second half of 2021. The 500,000 total orders presumably include both US residents and people in other countries; we asked SpaceX for more details and will update this article if we get a response. A preorder doesn't guarantee that you'll get service, and slots are limited in each geographic region because of capacity limits. Still, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said he expects all of the preorderers to get service—but said that SpaceX will face a challenge if it gets millions of orders. "Only limitation is high density of users in urban areas," Musk tweeted. "Most likely, all of the initial 500k will receive service. More of a challenge when we get into the several million user range." The total cost for each Starlink user is $499 for hardware, $50 for shipping and handling, and $99 for monthly service, plus tax. Preorders are still open on the Starlink website.