Tesla President and CEO Elon Musk presents the new ‘semi’ electric truck to shoppers 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 motorhomes to its satellite internet network, CEO Elon Musk said in a tweet on Monday.
Musk clarified that the antenna will not serve to “connect Tesla cars to Starlink,” saying the user’s terminal “is too large.”
“This is for planes, boats, big trucks and motorhomes,” Musk said.
Musk responded to CNBC reports that SpaceX was seeking authorization from the Federal Communications Commission to begin deploying antenna for its Starlink service on “moving vehicles.”
Starlink is the company’s capital-intensive project to build an interconnected Internet network with thousands of satellites, known to the space industry as a constellation, designed to provide high-speed Internet to consumers in any part of the world. planet.
SpaceX director of satellite policy David Goldman wrote in a letter to the FCC on Friday that “the volume of traffic flowing through global networks has exploded,” adding that “users are no longer willing. to give up connectivity while moving “.
“This application would serve the public interest by authorizing a new class of terrestrial components for the SpaceX satellite system that will expand the range of broadband capabilities available for moving vehicles in the United States and for ships and aircraft. moving around the world, ”Goldman wrote.
Last year, the Musk space company applied to the FCC for permission to conduct experimental tests on private jets and with its maritime fleet of ships. But Friday’s application is a much broader “general license” for operations. SpaceX noted that FCC rules “do not require applicants to submit a maximum number of user terminals to deploy,” so the company did not indicate how many vehicle terminals it plans to build.