Image: Starlink
As SpaceX continues to rapidly scale Starlink, its suppliers are racing to keep pace. One of them, European chipmaker STMicroelectronics, has revealed just how massive its role in the satellite internet network has become — and how much bigger it’s about to get.
According to Reuters, STMicro has shipped more than 5 billion radio-frequency antenna chips to SpaceX over the past decade for use in Starlink user terminals. Even more striking, deliveries under the partnership over the next two years could double that figure, pushing total shipments toward 10 billion chips by 2027.
“The past 10 years of user terminals in terms of volume could actually double over the next two years,” Remi El-Ouazzane, president of STMicro’s microcontrollers and digital integrated circuits division, told Reuters. He added, “I expect many lower-orbit satellite players to leverage the technology,” referring to the BiCMOS-based antenna chips used in Starlink hardware.
The disclosure offers a rare glimpse into the industrial scale behind Starlink’s growth. SpaceX’s satellite internet service now operates in more than 150 countries and territories and has recently surpassed eight million users worldwide. That kind of expansion has helped turn Starlink into a major driver of demand for specialized chips capable of handling high data rates while surviving the harsh conditions of space, as well as SpaceX’s single largest money maker.
STMicro’s radio-frequency “front-end modules,” or antenna elements, have been a key part of that growth since the partnership began around 2015. And the relationship is set to deepen further. STMicro is also expected to supply upcoming inter-satellite laser link technology for SpaceX platforms, while continuing work with European players such as Thales and Eutelsat on other satellite projects, including the EU’s planned Iris 2 constellation.
All of this comes as SpaceX aggressively ramps up operations on multiple fronts. The Starlink constellation already consists of more than 9,000 satellites in orbit, a number expected to cross 10,000 in early 2026. Starting next year, SpaceX is also slated to begin launching its next-generation Starlink V3 satellites, which are significantly larger and designed to dramatically increase network capacity. On top of that, the company has requested FCC approval to deploy up to 15,000 additional satellites to support its satellite-to-cellular service ambitions.
There’s also a bigger picture taking shape. SpaceX appears to be preparing for a potential public offering sometime in 2026, as the commercial space race heats up. Elon Musk has even hinted at AI data centres in orbit as a future frontier, underscoring just how central Starlink has become to SpaceX’s long-term strategy.
With SpaceX scaling at breakneck speed, it’s no surprise that key suppliers like STMicro are gearing up to deliver at an unprecedented scale.
