4 ms·

Anyone here know the likely component costs? Reports say ~$2000 each https://www.reddit.com/r/Starlink/comments/iuvqdq/starlink_terminalantenna_about_2000_acco

Anyone here know the likely component costs? Reports say ~$2000 each https://www.reddit.com/r/Starlink/comments/iuvqdq/starlink_terminalantenna_about_2000_according_to/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Starlink/comments/iuvqdq/starlink_t... But this feels like more of a finger in the air guess

inamberclad 6y ago
Wouldn't be surprised if it were that order of magnitude, but I bet the engineering effort cost much, much more. I'm ballparking the PCB alone at a hundred dollars each (that large of a multilayer board with controlled impedance), custom silicon probably had a high startup cost that will eventually amortize, a few hundred dollars in extra components, and then an expensive custom process for the top section with all the antennas.
- xoa 6y ago
  Wouldn't SpaceX be amortizing though vs their satellites and rockets too? They must have had to invest a significant amount in R&D and supply chain setup already to figure out aerospace grade electronics. It seems like the terminals, despite being extremely impressive, would still be much easier (and could reuse some know-how) than what they've needed to deal with for their rockets, capsules, and satellites? And they're definitely aiming pretty mass market with millions of terminals in the US alone.
  - delfinom 6y ago
    Right now these dishes are most likely completely overdesigned on the high-end RF scale. Unless Elon is repeating his stupidity of hiring a idiot of a consultant like they did for the Model 3 body (and eventually fired when made look bad by that reverse engineering firm). The design should get cost reduced in the future once they have enough field feedback over RF performance/behavior.
LinuxBender 6y ago
$699 for hardware, $99/mo for subscription according to a few youtubers. That is in the U.S. No idea what it will be elsewhere. Or do you mean their manufacturing cost per unit? [Edit: ] Was I incorrect, did I misunderstand the question?
- LinuxBender 6y ago
  Confirmed, in Canada, the unit is $649 and then $129/mo
virtuallynathan 6y ago
Yea, a leak said $2400, ordering 1m units from ST. ST covered the factory spin-up costs.
- syedkarim 6y ago
  That leak also mentioned that SpaceX had the option of manufacturing the terminals themselves, which might be what they ended up doing (and is certainly how the cost of $2400 can be reduced). If they manufacture Dishy themselves, they buy chips from ST and pay ST an additional fee for not buying 1,000,000 finished terminals.

inamberclad 6y ago

Wouldn't be surprised if it were that order of magnitude, but I bet the engineering effort cost much, much more. I'm ballparking the PCB alone at a hundred dollars each (that large of a multilayer board with controlled impedance), custom silicon probably had a high startup cost that will eventually amortize, a few hundred dollars in extra components, and then an expensive custom process for the top section with all the antennas.

xoa 6y ago
Wouldn't SpaceX be amortizing though vs their satellites and rockets too? They must have had to invest a significant amount in R&D and supply chain setup already to figure out aerospace grade electronics. It seems like the terminals, despite being extremely impressive, would still be much easier (and could reuse some know-how) than what they've needed to deal with for their rockets, capsules, and satellites? And they're definitely aiming pretty mass market with millions of terminals in the US alone.
- delfinom 6y ago
  Right now these dishes are most likely completely overdesigned on the high-end RF scale. Unless Elon is repeating his stupidity of hiring a idiot of a consultant like they did for the Model 3 body (and eventually fired when made look bad by that reverse engineering firm). The design should get cost reduced in the future once they have enough field feedback over RF performance/behavior.

LinuxBender 6y ago

$699 for hardware, $99/mo for subscription according to a few youtubers. That is in the U.S. No idea what it will be elsewhere. Or do you mean their manufacturing cost per unit? [Edit: ] Was I incorrect, did I misunderstand the question?

LinuxBender 6y ago
Confirmed, in Canada, the unit is $649 and then $129/mo

virtuallynathan 6y ago

Yea, a leak said $2400, ordering 1m units from ST. ST covered the factory spin-up costs.

syedkarim 6y ago
That leak also mentioned that SpaceX had the option of manufacturing the terminals themselves, which might be what they ended up doing (and is certainly how the cost of $2400 can be reduced). If they manufacture Dishy themselves, they buy chips from ST and pay ST an additional fee for not buying 1,000,000 finished terminals.