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SpaceX’s Starlink internet a step closer to customers as “user terminal” hiring ramps up
As SpaceX prepares to kick off an aggressive Starlink launch campaign in the next month or two, the company is also aggressively hiring build teams that will engineer and mass-produce crucial ground-based hardware, ranging from ground stations and mobile applications to the “user terminals” that will go in customer homes.
The proposed Starlink satellite internet constellation will be comprised of up to 12,000 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) and is designed to provide low latency high-speed broadband internet service the world over. Company CEO Elon Musk has previously discussed that a major focus of the constellation would be to provide reliable and fast internet service to rural and remote locations where existing service may be far too expensive or unreliable.
Over the last 6-12 months, an array of job listings have advertised well over a hundred new positions related to Starlink, with a recent trend towards prioritization of user terminal production at SpaceX’s Hawthorne, CA headquarters. SpaceX is also looking to expand its software development workforce to mature the software needed for user terminals and create a range of other customer-facing products, including a “Starlink Mobile” app for both Android and iOS devices.
Similar to current satellite TV and internet solutions, SpaceX’s Starlink internet service will require ground-based receivers – “user terminals” – at their location of use. By all appearances, SpaceX may also have plans to integrate a WiFi router directly into the terminal to make the user experience as seamless as possible, but it’s just as likely that SpaceX will simply include ports for users to connect their own routers. Musk has previously stated that the user terminals will use phased arrays antennas that will allow them to stay motionless on the ground while electronically ‘steering’ to ensure the best possible satellite connection.
The user terminals will be the connect-all hardware point that will “sit in (Starlink) customers’ homes” to “bridge the gap between OS software, flight software, antenna software, and modem software.” Presumably, the User Terminals will be far more advanced than current access modems and will also encompass a router that would allow satellite wifi service throughout the area of access. Past statements indicate that SpaceX intends for the terminals to be roughly the size of a small pizza box.
In line with user terminal planning, SpaceX has also begun hiring developers for a Starlink Mobile application. This will enable customers to enjoy “a seamless experience managing their accounts and internet access”, presumably offering something akin to the experience that current Tesla customers have with Tesla’s mobile apps.
The current Tesla app is a comprehensive experience that allows user monitoring and customization of every aspect of their Tesla products inclusing vehicles and Powerwall energy systems. The experience guides the user from set-up to everyday use of their various Tesla products.
From the senior software engineer job listing, it can be assumed that the Starlink Mobile app will be comparable to the Tesla app. The advertised position will “bring to life the mobile portal into Starlink.” It’s very likely that the Starlink Mobile app will allow the user to monitor device connections, download and upload speeds, and other customer-specific experiences such as account access and billing. The app will be built completely in-house and from the ground up to ensure that it is specified and tailored to meet the various requirements of a comprehensive and quality customer experience.
SpaceX is expected to ramp up the development and manufacturing of all Starlink supportive ground systems within the coming weeks and months. The advertised positions are all located in California – the software development and manufacturing of User Terminal Teams based in Hawthorne while the mobile application software engineer position is located in Los Angeles.
According to President and COO Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX aspires to launch 2-4 more missions in 2019 and as many as 24 dedicated Starlink missions in 2020 alone, roughly translating to a Starlink launch ever two weeks. Customer launches would occur in the interim and SpaceX has made it clear that customers will come first, with Starlink missions then filling in the gaps left in SpaceX’s commercial manifest.
SpaceX ultimately believes that it can begin serving customers after as few as 6-8 launches with 60 Starlink satellites apiece, while initial global coverage will require 24 launches. Beyond those milestones, more launches (involving anywhere from 10,000 to 40,000+ additional satellites) would simply add bandwidth and allow SpaceX to expand its customer base and distribute additional capacity based on demand.
SpaceX’s next two Starlink missions are scheduled to launch no earlier than mid-November and December 2019.
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Tesla Cybertruck Lead Engineer Wes Morrill revealed the company has made several changes to the all-electric pickup, which he calls a “living thing, constantly evolving and improving.”
Cybertruck is manufactured at Tesla’s Gigafactory Texas just outside of Austin, and over the past few years, Tesla has continued to make small changes to the pickup to improve everything from cost, reliability, serviceablility, and manufacturability.
“The finish line isn’t getting to production. A product is a living thing, constantly evolving and improving,” Morrill added.
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Some of those changes are yet to be revealed, but perhaps the most notable one was the change Tesla made to the aero shield that sits underneath the truck. In the past, it was aluminum, but now the Cybertruck is using a self-reinforcing polypropylene.
Morrill said that the polypropylene is “stretched into fibers and then laminated into the form,” and is much more durable, much lighter, and significantly cheaper than aluminum when it is manufactured this way.
It also enabled some improvements in the geometry of the Cybertruck, improving the manufacturing around the bolts and edges, in addition to minor form changes. These all benefitted the Cybertruck in more ways than one: specifically with durability and improved drag.
I was surprised by how interested people were to find out we made a relatively benign change to the Cybertruck aero shield, a part of the car most people never even see. So I’ll share some more details.
Here are two photos, the left is one of the latest trucks off the… pic.twitter.com/F5cZo2CZKf
— Wes (@wmorrill3) September 7, 2026
Typically, Teslas are not necessarily identified by model year because these changes are fluid and occur when the company sees fit to implement them. It is not like other automotive companies, which usually make sweeping manufacturing changes when building a new model year.
Instead, Teslas are recognized by their “generation” or “era.” For example, those with a newer Model Y might refer to their car as a “Juniper.” This is the same with Model 3, as many refer to the new body style as the “Highland.”
Tesla’s manufacturing changes are proof of the company’s constant need to improve its products and move things forward with its vehicles. There is no need to drag one’s feet and wait until next year if the product can be made better right now, and that’s precisely what Tesla did with the Cybertruck.
Elon Musk
Tesla Cybercabs narrowly miss deadly Amazon cargo plane crash
An Amazon cargo plane crash near Miami’s airport stopped feet from dozens of Tesla Cybercabs.
An Amazon Prime Air Boeing 767 cargo jet overran the runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday afternoon, killing five people and injuring five more. The jet, operated by North Carolina based carrier 21 Air as Flight 7598, touched down around 2 p.m. after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, then crossed the airport perimeter, plowed across NW 67th Avenue and struck multiple vehicles before catching fire, according to the Associated Press.
Photos and video from the scene show the aircraft’s nose stopped within meters of a fenced staging lot holding dozens of gold painted Tesla Cybercabs, the steering wheel free robotaxi Tesla began putting on public roads in Austin last week. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue has confirmed the plane struck “multiple vehicles” but has not said whether any Cybercabs were among them, and neither Tesla nor airport officials have addressed the fleet directly.
The Cybercabs had not yet entered commercial service in Miami. Tesla’s existing Robotaxi operation there runs on modified Model Y vehicles and has been unsupervised since Ashok Elluswamy confirmed the detail on X in July.
Footage of the plane crash from earlier today | #ONLYinDADE pic.twitter.com/iGoOtnd6cD
— ONLY in DADE (@ONLYinDADE) September 6, 2026
Elon Musk offered the briefest of reactions. Replying to a Zero Hedge post about the Cybercabs sitting so close to the wreckage, he wrote a single word: “Weird.” He has not commented further, and Tesla has not issued a statement.
The timing puts Tesla’s newest vehicle near an unrelated but highly visible tragedy just days after its Austin debut, a launch that had already drawn scrutiny from federal regulators. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an audit how Tesla certified the Cybercab as compliant with federal vehicle safety standards, a process Teslarati covered after the vehicle’s September 3 launch event. That inquiry concerns the car’s lack of a steering wheel and pedals, not the Miami crash.
Investigators from the FAA and NTSB are focused on the plane, not the parking lot beside it. Flight data reviewed by outlets including Simple Flying show the 767 touched down around 170 knots, well above the 135 to 140 knot range typical for the aircraft, though investigators have not determined a cause. Amazon said it is working with authorities and that its priority is the safety of everyone affected.
Whether any Cybercabs were damaged, and what Tesla plans for the fleet parked near one of the country’s busiest airports, remain open questions.
Tesla has reached a notable benchmark in its autonomous driving program after its Robotaxi fleet surpassed one million miles of unsupervised operation. The company made the announcement during its Cybercab event in Austin on September 3.
Tesla Vice President of AI Ashok Elluswamy told attendees he was happy to report the fleet had achieved one million miles of unsupervised Robotaxi operation as a testament to safety.
The new total marked a sharp increase from the 380,000 unsupervised miles Tesla disclosed during its second-quarter 2026 earnings update in late July.
In roughly six weeks, the company added about 620,000 miles. That acceleration followed Tesla’s decision to remove in-vehicle safety monitors from most of its operations outside the San Francisco Bay Area.
Credit: Tesla
Tesla first launched Robotaxi service in Austin in June 2025 with safety drivers present. It later began fully unsupervised rides and expanded into Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa. The San Francisco Bay Area remains the exception, where a safety monitor still rides in the vehicle under California permitting rules.
The company has not released a city-by-city breakdown of the one million unsupervised miles.
The milestone arrived as Tesla began offering public Cybercab rides in Austin. The purpose-built vehicle has no steering wheel or pedals and is designed only for autonomous ride-hailing. Production versions joined the existing fleet of modified Tesla vehicles already operating in the service.
Tesla’s unsupervised mileage is growing at a double-digit weekly rate according to earlier company comments, yet its fleet size remains modest compared with established competitors. Waymo has accumulated more than 200 million fully autonomous rider-only miles. Tesla has described its own unsupervised operations as having recorded zero notable incidents in the period leading up to the July update.
The one-million-mile figure reflects Tesla’s shift from supervised testing to broader driverless service in multiple states. It also highlights the company’s strategy of using both existing Model Y vehicles and the new Cybercab to scale its network.
Credit: Tesla
Whether the rapid recent growth continues will depend on further city expansions, regulatory approvals, and the performance of the purpose-built Cybercab in everyday paid rides. Tesla has not specified how many of the latest miles involved the new vehicle versus the rest of the fleet.
The announcement underscores Tesla’s progress toward a larger robotaxi network while illustrating the remaining gap in total autonomous experience relative to longer-operating rivals.
Tesla Cybertruck engineer reveals new changes in ‘constantly evolving’ pickup
Tesla Cybercabs narrowly miss deadly Amazon cargo plane crash
