Tesla Chairman and CEO Elon Musk unveils the new ‘semi’ electric truck to buyers and journalists on November 16, 2017 in Hawthorne, California, near Los Angeles.
Veronique Dupont | AFP | Getty Images
SpaceX is working on an antenna that will connect vehicles such as semi-trucks and RVs to its satellite internet network, CEO Elon Musk said in a tweet Monday.
Musk clarified that the antenna is not intended to “connect Tesla cars to Starlink,” and said that “the user’s terminal is far too large.”
“This is for planes, ships, large trucks and RVs,” said Musk.
Musk responded to CNBC’s report that SpaceX had requested permission from the Federal Communications Commission to begin deploying an antenna for its Starlink service on “ moving vehicles. ”
Starlink is the company’s capital-intensive project to build an interconnected Internet network of thousands of satellites, known in the space industry as a constellation, designed to deliver high-speed Internet to consumers around the world.
David Goldman, SpaceX’s director of satellite policy, wrote in a letter to the FCC Friday that “the volume of traffic flowing across the world’s networks has exploded,” adding that “users are no longer willing to forgo connectivity. while they are on the road. “
“This application would serve the public interest by adopting a new class of ground-based components for SpaceX’s satellite system, extending the range of broadband capabilities available to moving vehicles in the United States and moving ships and aircraft across the world. around the world, ”Goldman wrote.
Musk’s aerospace company last year asked the FCC for permission to conduct experimental tests on private jets and with its maritime fleet of ships. But Friday’s request is for a much broader “general permit” for operations. SpaceX noted that the FCC’s rules “do not require applicants to submit a maximum number of user terminals,” so the company has not specified how many vehicle terminals it plans to build.