Latest Developments

Starlink is making a significant business model shift, introducing a $10 monthly hardware rental fee while simultaneously raising service prices by $5 to $10 — a move that signals SpaceX is leaning into recurring revenue as the constellation matures. With 10,558 of the 10,574 satellites currently in orbit fully operational across the 12,212 launched to date, the network is commercially robust enough to absorb pricing pressure. Meanwhile, SpaceX’s Starbase teams are charging ahead on Starship Flight 13 preparations, with Booster 20 already entering cryogenic testing. Three more Starlink launches are expected in the week ahead, spanning California, Virginia, and Florida launch sites.

Space Safety

The current Starlink conjunction risk picture shows manageable threat levels with two MODERATE risk events projected for early-to-mid June 2026, neither reaching HIGH classification thresholds. The first moderate conjunction involves STARLINK-30526 and STARLINK-35247 on Jun 10 with a maximum collision probability of 0.30, while a secondary moderate event occurs between STARLINK-1133 and STARLINK-34975 on Jun 7 with a 0.10 probability. The remaining eight conjunctions are classified as LOW risk with collision probabilities below 0.09. Currently, there are no Starlink satellites with imminent reentry predictions in the TIP catalog, indicating stable orbital conditions across the operational fleet.

Detailed Coverage

Starlink Ditches One-Time Hardware Purchases, Introduces $10 Monthly Rental Fee

In a move drawing direct comparisons to traditional cable companies, Starlink has restructured its hardware pricing model, replacing one-time dish purchases with a $10 monthly rental fee. The change is accompanied by service plan price increases of $5 to $10 across tiers, marking a notable pivot for a service that once differentiated itself from legacy ISPs partly on transparent, upfront pricing.

For satellite trackers and analysts, the shift underscores how SpaceX is transitioning Starlink from a growth-at-all-costs phase into a sustainable revenue business. With over 10,558 working satellites forming one of the most capable broadband networks ever deployed, the company appears confident enough in retention to test pricing elasticity — though customer backlash in competitive markets could be a factor worth watching in the months ahead.

Read the full story: Ars Technica

Booster 20 Enters Cryogenic Testing as SpaceX Targets Starship Flight 13

Barely pausing after the conclusion of Starship Flight 12, SpaceX engineers at Starbase have moved Booster 20 into cryogenic testing — a critical milestone in the vehicle’s preparation cadence ahead of Flight 13. The rapid turnaround reflects SpaceX’s increasingly aggressive production and testing tempo for the world’s largest rocket, with each flight campaign providing new data to iterate on both the Super Heavy booster and Ship upper stage.

Cryogenic testing subjects the vehicle’s propellant systems to operational temperatures, verifying structural integrity and hardware performance before static fire and flight. The pace at which Booster 20 has entered this phase suggests SpaceX’s Starbase teams are targeting a relatively near-term launch window, though specific dates remain unconfirmed. Each Starship flight also carries implications for future Starlink V3 deployment capacity, as the mega-rocket is expected to eventually serve as the primary vehicle for next-generation satellite batches.

Read the full story: NASASpaceFlight.com

Three Starlink Launches Headline Busy Week of Global Orbital Activity

The week of June 8, 2026 is shaping up to be one of the more active in recent memory, with three dedicated Starlink missions scheduled alongside Chinese launch activity and a Rocket Lab flight, launching from California, Virginia, and Florida. The volume reflects SpaceX’s sustained cadence of constellation maintenance and expansion, as the company works to replenish older satellites and densify coverage in high-demand regions.

For those tracking the constellation, each of these missions will add to the current figure of 10,574 satellites in orbit. Observers with access to tools like KeepTrack can expect visible satellite trains in the days following each launch, particularly from mid-latitude sites, before the new vehicles disperse into their operational shells.

Read the full story: NASASpaceFlight.com

NASA Set to Reveal Artemis 3 Crew — SpaceX Starship HLS in the Spotlight

NASA is preparing to publicly announce the crew for Artemis 3, the mission planned to return humans to the lunar surface, and the announcement is expected to include updates on the mission architecture itself. Critically for SpaceX watchers, the mission plan involves a low Earth orbit rendezvous between the Orion spacecraft and Human Landing System landers — including SpaceX’s Starship HLS variant alongside Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 2.

The dual-lander architecture makes this one of the most complex crewed mission profiles since Apollo, and SpaceX’s role as a primary lunar surface access provider puts Starship’s development directly on the critical path for NASA’s human exploration timeline. Progress on Starship Flight 13 and beyond will be closely scrutinized by agency officials as Artemis 3’s launch window approaches.

Read the full story: Spaceflight Now

Astronaut Photographs Snake-Like Auroras from SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft

NASA astronaut Jessica Meir captured a stunning series of aurora images from orbit aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, with the sinuous, snake-like formations stretching across the frame in vivid greens and purples. The photographs were taken while Meir and her crewmates sheltered inside the Dragon — a reminder that the capsule serves not only as a lifeboat but as an observational platform with a uniquely intimate view of Earth’s atmospheric phenomena.

The images arrive during a period of elevated solar activity, which has driven aurora visibility to unusually low latitudes on the ground and created spectacular viewing conditions from low Earth orbit. Operators of satellites like those in the Starlink constellation also monitor geomagnetic activity closely, as intense storms can increase atmospheric drag and affect orbital maintenance requirements for the thousands of spacecraft operating in the same altitude bands where Dragon and Dragon-based crew missions operate.

Read the full story: Space.com

Constellation Status

There have been no changes to the Starlink constellation since the last check. The constellation currently consists of 12,212 total launched satellites, with 10,574 remaining in orbit, 10,558 of which are actively working, and 1,638 that have decayed from orbit.

• Total Launched: 12212
• Total On Orbit: 10574
• Total Working: 10558

Track Starlink satellites in real-time: Track Starlink