It feels like just yesterday that looking at the night sky meant seeing stars, planets, and the occasional flickering airplane. Now? You’re probably seeing a "train" of glowing dots marching across the cosmos. That’s Starlink. But if you’re asking how long has Starlink been around, the answer depends entirely on whether you mean the "crazy idea" phase, the "experimental" phase, or the "I can actually buy this" phase.
Honestly, Starlink is older than most people think. It didn't just pop out of a Falcon 9 fairing in 2020. This project has been a slow-burn obsession for Elon Musk and SpaceX for over a decade. It’s moved from a secretive office in Washington to a global behemoth that currently powers everything from remote Montana cabins to front-line communications in global conflicts.
The Secret Origins: 2014 to 2017
Before the satellites, there were just a few guys in a room. In early 2014, rumors started swirling that Musk and Greg Wyler (the founder of OneWeb) were looking into a massive constellation of about 700 satellites. It was called WorldVu back then. That partnership fizzled out pretty fast—big personalities often clash—and SpaceX decided to go it alone.
By January 2015, Starlink was officially announced. Musk gave a speech in Seattle at the opening of the SpaceX satellite development facility in Redmond, Washington. He basically told the crowd that they wanted to rebuild the internet in space. At the time, it sounded like pure sci-fi. He estimated it would cost about $10 billion to get the thing off the ground.
Between 2015 and 2017, it was mostly a paperwork war. You can't just throw things into orbit without asking. SpaceX had to file a mountain of applications with the FCC to get licenses for thousands of satellites. This is where the name "Starlink" finally appeared in trademark filings around 2017.
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The First "Real" Objects in Space
If you want to be technical about how long has Starlink been around in orbit, the clock started on February 22, 2018.
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 carrying two test satellites: Tintin-A and Tintin-B. They weren't even the final design. They were just "pathfinders" meant to prove that the antennas and the ground stations could actually talk to each other. They stayed up there for years, slowly decaying in orbit, acting as the grandparents of the 9,000+ satellites we have today.
The real game-changer happened in May 2019. This was the first "v0.9" launch. SpaceX crammed 60 satellites into a single rocket. When they deployed, it looked like a flat-packed deck of cards floating away. This was the moment the world realized SpaceX wasn't kidding. They weren't just launching a couple of satellites; they were building a mesh network that would eventually cover the whole planet.
Better Than Nothing: The Beta Years
For most of us, Starlink "started" when we could actually pay for it.
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- July 2020: SpaceX started a very limited, private beta. You had to sign an NDA and they basically charged you $2 a month just to test the billing system.
- October 2020: The "Better Than Nothing" Beta launched. This was the iconic moment. No more NDAs. If you lived in the right latitude, you could pay $499 for the "Dishy McFlatface" hardware and $99 a month for service.
- Early 2021: Pre-orders opened globally. People in the UK, Canada, and Germany started getting those massive gray boxes on their doorsteps.
It’s wild to look back at those 2020 speeds. People were losing their minds over 100 Mbps in the middle of a forest. Today, with the v2-Mini and v3 hardware coming online in 2026, those early speeds look like dial-up.
Where Are We Now in 2026?
As of January 2026, Starlink is a different beast entirely. It’s no longer just for "rural folks" or "van lifers."
We have over 9,400 active satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). That’s roughly 65% of all active satellites currently circling Earth. Just think about that. One company owns more than half of everything operational in space.
The subscriber growth has been vertical. In late 2022, they hit a million users. By December 2025, they crossed 9 million. This growth is being driven by things nobody expected back in 2015:
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- Direct to Cell: You don't even need a dish anymore for basic stuff. The partnership with T-Mobile (and now others like Verizon) officially went live in July 2025, allowing normal smartphones to send texts via satellite.
- Aviation and Maritime: Almost every major airline is swapping out their old, laggy Wi-Fi for Starlink.
- Global Mobility: The "Starlink Mini" dish—which is basically the size of a laptop—changed everything for travelers in 2024 and 2025.
Why the Timeline Actually Matters
Understanding how long has Starlink been around helps explain why it's so much better than HughesNet or Viasat. Old-school satellite internet uses "Geostationary" satellites. They sit 22,000 miles away. The lag (latency) is terrible because light can only travel so fast.
Starlink satellites are only about 340 miles up. Because they've been iterating on the hardware for over a decade, they’ve solved the "handoff" problem—where your signal has to jump from one fast-moving satellite to the next without dropping your Zoom call.
Actionable Steps for Potential Users
If you’re thinking about jumping on the Starlink bandwagon now that it's matured, here is the current reality of the service:
- Check the Map: Even in 2026, some "cells" are congested. Go to the Starlink availability map and check your specific address. If you're in a high-density area, your speeds might dip during peak hours.
- Hardware Choice: Don't just buy a used Gen 1 dish (the round one). The newer Gen 3 and Mini hardware are much more efficient and handle the latest v2-Mini satellite signals better.
- Look at "Direct to Cell": If you only need emergency connectivity for your phone, check if your carrier includes "T-Satellite" or similar Starlink-powered features. You might not even need to buy a dish.
- Obstructions are Real: Use the Starlink app before you buy. If you have a massive oak tree blocking the northern sky, it doesn't matter how many satellites are up there—your internet will cut out every 30 seconds.
Starlink isn't the "new kid" anymore. It's a decade-old infrastructure project that has finally reached its stride. Whether you love the "megaconstellation" idea or worry about the impact on astronomy, there's no denying that the "train of lights" is here to stay.