Elon Musk promised to increase Starlink's capacity 100-fold in two to three years

SpaceX founder Elon Musk said in an interview with investor Ron Baron that the Starlink network will grow 100-fold in total capacity thanks to next-generation V3 satellites and an expanded constellation. The first 26 V3 satellites have already been placed into orbit by a Starship rocket.

Otabek YusupovFirst published on tafs uz 7 November 2026 at 08:522 min read

The key facts

Musk promises a hundredfold increase in Starlink capacity within two to three years
There are currently about 11,000 satellites in orbit, mostly V2; V3 deployment began in late September
The figures remain company forecasts and require a sharp increase in launch frequency

Musk's statement and what it is based on

SpaceX plans to increase the total capacity of the Starlink satellite network roughly 100-fold over the next two to three years. The company's founder Elon Musk said this in an interview with American investor Ron Baron, according to Life.ru. According to him, the growth is to be achieved by launching tens of thousands of new satellites.

What has already been done and what is planned

There are currently about 11,000 Starlink satellites in orbit, mostly second-generation V2 models. SpaceX has already begun deploying V3 satellites, which, according to Musk, are more than ten times more capable than their predecessors. 'The V3 satellite is more than 10 times more capable than the V2 satellite, and we intend to launch 10 times as many of them. So in two or three years, Starlink's capacity will be 100 times greater than it is now,' the businessman said. The first 26 V3 satellites were placed into orbit in late September during the 14th test flight of the super-heavy Starship rocket — it is with its help that the company expects to speed up replenishing the constellation. In addition, Musk announced the development of fourth-generation V4 satellites, which, in his estimate, will be roughly another ten times more productive than V3; more powerful laser inter-satellite communication links are planned for them.

What is important to understand

We are talking about the total capacity of the entire network, not a hundredfold increase in internet speed for each individual user. Moreover, the figures announced so far remain SpaceX forecasts: to achieve them, the company will have to significantly increase its launch cadence and deploy a large constellation of next-generation satellites. Recent pressure on Musk's businesses also provides context: according to Life.ru, Tesla and SpaceX lost a combined total of about $420 billion in market value after the US midterm elections, and the election results, as the outlet noted, called into question the implementation of the entrepreneur's major technology projects in Texas.