Image: Starlink
SpaceX’s Starlink is proving that high-speed satellite internet isn’t just for homes, RVs, or airplanes — it can also keep up with off-road race trucks blasting through the desert at full throttle.
In a new showcase shared by Starlink, competitive off-road racing team 1 Nine Industries and Terrible Herbst Motorsports used Starlink connectivity to prepare for and compete in the grueling Baja 400. Operating out of Barstow, California, the teams deployed Starlink Performance Kits across their race trucks and even a support helicopter, delivering reliable internet access in some of the most remote terrain imaginable.
“The Performance Kits deployed on their trucks and helicopter deliver high-speed internet, which is keeping racers and their teams connected in the most remote desert terrains,” Starlink explained in a post on X.
Image: Starlink
That connectivity matters when vehicles are racing at extreme speeds across massive distances. According to Starlink, the trucks were traveling at up to 240 km/h (150 mph) while covering more than 1,600 kilometres (1,000 miles). Despite those conditions, teams were able to communicate real-time mechanical issues, coordinate logistics, share updates with families and fans, and even livestream the competition.
If Starlink can maintain a stable connection on commercial aircraft cruising at altitude, it’s no surprise that it can comfortably keep pace with race trucks hammering across the desert at 150 mph. Still, the use case highlights just how far satellite internet has come — and how versatile it’s becoming.
Starlink said the deployment represents an industry first for off-road racing and called the technology “essential to winning races,” where constant communication can be the difference between finishing and breaking down miles from civilization.
Image: Starlink
The Baja 400 example comes as Starlink continues to scale rapidly worldwide. The satellite internet service recently crossed eight million subscribers across more than 150 countries and territories, bringing high-speed connectivity to locations where traditional networks simply can’t reach.
Starlink connectivity in vehicles also isn’t as far-fetched as it once sounded. Tesla owners have long jerry-rigged Starlink terminals onto their EVs, and a Tesla patent uncovered this week hinted that native Starlink internet could eventually be built directly into future Tesla vehicles. Between off-road racing, aviation, automotive, and even cellular use cases, Starlink is increasingly positioning itself as an internet service that truly works anywhere.
