SpaceX has announced that it plans to begin launching its third-generation Starlink satellites in the first half of 2026, promising a major leap forward in performance for its growing global satellite internet network.
In a recently published Starlink Network Update, SpaceX revealed that these next-gen satellites will offer “an order of magnitude improvement in capacity” compared to the second-generation satellites it is currently deploying, thanks to advances in hardware, computing, and networking capabilities.
Each third-gen Starlink satellite will be capable of delivering over 1,000 Gbps of downlink and over 200 Gbps of uplink capacity to users on the ground — a more than 10x boost in downlink and 24x increase in uplink compared to the current second-gen satellites. For context, SpaceX first started outlining plans for Gen 2 satellites back in 2021, with their rollout beginning in early 2023.
According to SpaceX, every launch of these new third-gen satellites aboard Starship is expected to add 60 Tbps of capacity to the Starlink network — more than 20 times what a typical launch adds today.
The company said the new satellites will also operate at a lower orbit, reducing latency, and will feature next-generation modems, beamforming, switching, and onboard computers to support growing demand, the rollout of 5G, and critical communications infrastructure in the event of natural disasters.
“Starlink’s system is designed to scale rapidly and improve continuously,” SpaceX said. “From satellite design and production to launch and ground infrastructure, Starlink is uniquely positioned to keep pace with rising demand around the world.”
In the same update, SpaceX announced that Starlink now has more than 2 million active subscribers in the U.S. North of the border, the service’s user base recently surpassed 500,000. According to recent data from Ookla, Starlink almost doubled its median download speeds in the U.S. between Q3 2022 and Q1 2o25.
