STMicroelectronics and SpaceX are marking a decade-long partnership that has helped underpin the rapid global expansion of Starlink, the low Earth orbit satellite network now serving more than 8 million users worldwide.
The collaboration, which began ten years ago, has focused on the co-design of custom semiconductor components used in Starlink satellites and user terminals. Together, the two companies have produced billions of chips deployed across millions of consumer terminals and more than 10,000 satellites, including Starlink’s latest V3 spacecraft, capable of delivering more than 1 Tbps of fronthaul throughput.
Starlink’s user terminal is the first consumer-grade phased-array antenna designed for mass adoption, allowing customers to self-install equipment that connects to thousands of satellites orbiting the Earth. SpaceX has industrialised the production of these complex antennas, scaling output to more than 20,000 terminals a day for customers in over 150 countries. STMicroelectronics’ components have played a central role in enabling that scale-up, according to both companies.
“Our partnership with STMicroelectronics has been instrumental in enabling the scale and performance of Starlink,” said Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX, adding that the collaboration would continue as SpaceX develops next-generation connectivity aimed at expanding access to high-speed internet in underserved regions.
STMicroelectronics, Europe’s largest semiconductor manufacturer, said the relationship demonstrated its ability to support customers from early-stage design through to high-volume manufacturing. “Through co-designing key chips, providing engineering services, and delivering high-volume manufacturing, we demonstrate the exceptional value of ST’s innovation and manufacturing capabilities,” said Remi El-Ouazzane, President, Microcontrollers, Digital ICs, and RF Products Group at STMicroelectronics.
Engineering teams based in France and Italy have worked closely with SpaceX on Starlink designs, with manufacturing spread across ST fabs in France, and packaging and testing operations in Malta and Malaysia. A key focus has been ST’s BiCMOS technology, used in high-performance phased-array antennas. To meet Starlink’s volume and cost requirements, ST developed a new panel level packaging manufacturing process, with Starlink as the lead customer.
That investment has allowed ST to reach a delivery rate of more than 5 million chips a day as Starlink accelerates its global rollout. Beyond antennas, Starlink also uses a range of ST products, including STM32 microcontrollers, secure elements, and GNSS solutions, across satellites, ground infrastructure, and user terminals.
Both companies said the partnership would continue beyond the ten-year milestone, with joint work under way on next-generation satellites and terminals, and further advances in semiconductor technologies designed to support higher performance and greater capacity in satellite broadband networks.
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