SpaceX preps Gen4 Starlink dish, Mini with battery for IPO

SpaceX’s New Starlink Dish Designs Spotted

SpaceX will have more to show for its record-breaking IPO, it seems, as the next Starlink dish generation firmware has been unearthed, and Elon Musk is confirming that there will indeed be new Standard and Mini kits coming. The discovery of new firmware strings has been a big giveaway, plus Musk’s own public display of the hardware leaves little room for doubt about there being upcoming product releases.

Thinner and More Travel-Friendly Terminals

SpaceX is gearing up to release two new Starlink dish terminals that are thinner and more travel-friendly than their predecessors, with one of them rumored to go fully off-grid with its own battery. Elon Musk has never been shy about using a product demo to double as a PR event, and his latest appearance for a SpaceX AI satellite briefing was no different. This particular presentation gave a clear view of the new hardware even though Musk didn’t say much about it.

Details from the Briefing and Teardown Expert

Sitting conspicuously on the table in front of him were two brand-new Starlink dishes that he confirmed are “the new Starlink terminals, which we make in much higher volume than the current terminals.” That was pretty much the extent of Musk’s commentary, but the hardware did plenty of talking on its own, as both units looked noticeably slimmer and more compact than the existing Standard and Mini dishes currently on sale. The slimming of the new Standard dish had already been telegraphed by the Ukrainian Starlink teardown expert Oleg Kutkov, who spotted a new “rev5” board string in the latest Starlink firmware, alongside multiple “prod” variants suggesting active production.

Successor to the Current V4 Standard

The current V4 Standard, introduced in late 2023, appears to be getting a proper successor that shrinks toward Mini territory in terms of footprint. This means the new standard dish will be much more compact then the old model which makes it easier to transport or store. Even more intriguing is what Kutkov also found in said firmware: a MINI1_RUGGED_PROD1 device string, pointing to a tougher variant of the Mini dish. Separately, a University of Victoria research team identified firmware code referencing PowerSource_BATTERY, PowerSource_USBC, and DishBatteryStats, which are fields to monitor state of charge and active charging.

Battery-Powered Mini Variant

The current Mini that is available on Amazon for $360 requires an external power supply or third-party battery pack, so a version with a self-contained power source would be welcome news for field deployment, emergencies, and anyone who wants truly untethered satellite Internet without carrying a tangle of adapters. Having a built-in battery would certainly make the kit more appealing for people who need connectivity in remote locations without access to mains electricity.

Launch Timing and Speculation

SpaceX has not officially confirmed specs or pricing for either model, but with Musk showcasing them on camera and confirming they are already in production, a launch may be timed to coincide with or follow the long-anticipated SpaceX IPO. The lack of official details hasn’t stopped excitement however, as these new terminals represent a big step forward in terms of portability and ruggedness.