According to TrendForce's latest satellite industry research, Starlink has recently completed the deployment of its first batch of V3 satellites. By incorporating a massive phased array antenna with 2,048 array elements and lowering orbital altitude, these satellites can provide ultra-low latency bandwidth and direct-to-cellphone satellite connectivity.
As V3 satellites move into mass deployment, the demand for launch missions from Starlink's parent company SpaceX is steadily growing. This is expected to drive the global satellite rocket launch market to $40.4 billion by 2028.
TrendForce notes that demand for satellite communications from suburban and rural users has increased significantly in recent years, prompting Starlink to fully upgrade from V2 Mini satellites to the V3 specification. Previously, V2 Mini satellites were deployed in orbits over 500 kilometers above the Earth's surface, which had become overly congested. To address noise interference from dense signals in the traditional Ka and Ku frequency bands, Starlink has lowered the V3 satellite orbit to approximately 350 kilometers. This not only reduces transmission latency to under 20 milliseconds but also provides suburban users in the United States, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina with average uplink speeds of 100-200 Mbps and downlink speeds of 1-2 Gbps via ultra-low latency satellite broadband. It also supports direct-to-cellphone voice services and higher-quality in-flight connectivity.
The addition of ultra-high millimeter-wave bands, including V-band (50-75 GHz) and W-band (75-110 GHz), in V3 satellites has allowed for a reduction in the size of the Electronically Steerable Array (ESA) antenna units and overall volume on the ground. However, the significant attenuation of ultra-high-frequency signals requires RF front-end modules to evolve toward highly integrated, ultra-high-frequency Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMICs) and low-power materials, such as Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) for high-frequency power amplifiers, to balance miniaturization and high transmission performance. This technological shift is not only driving Starlink to release next-generation RF module orders to semiconductor and microwave component manufacturers like Universal Microwave Technology, Win Semiconductors, and Transcom, but also creates opportunities for Wistron NeWeb Corp., which offers one-stop RF module integration solutions.
SpaceX Starship Completes Launch Verification, Rocket Launch Costs Drop Significantly
TrendForce points out that the V3 satellite launch mission was carried out by SpaceX's Starship rocket. The successful deployment of the satellites confirms that the Starship has completed its launch verification. To carry the 20 large V3 satellites, the Super Heavy booster ignited 33 Raptor engines to propel the rocket into orbit, simultaneously collecting key technical data, such as heat shield performance. With the continued growth in satellite communication subscribers, V3 satellites will enter mass deployment. Combined with the gradual maturation of 6G mobile communication technology by 2028, this will create new application scenarios integrating satellites, High-Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS), and drones. These factors will drive launch demand led by Starship, with the global satellite rocket launch market projected to grow from $29.3 billion in 2026 to $40.4 billion in 2028.
From a cost perspective, compared to the current Falcon 9, which can only recover its first stage, Starship is capable of recovering both the first stage (Super Heavy booster) and the second stage. This allows SpaceX to shift from building a new rocket for each mission to paying only routine maintenance costs. The cost per rocket launch has dropped from tens of millions of dollars to millions of dollars. This change is expected to ease SpaceX's cash flow pressure and free up capital for investment in emerging services, such as in-orbit AI computing.