Starlink
Julio 9, 2021 - < 1 min

Elon Musk's multi-billion dollar gamble

The satellite internet company will need to invest between US$5 billion and US$10 billion before reaching positive cash flow.

Share

If there is one disruptive spirit in business, it is Elon Musk. He changed the paradigm of the automotive industry with his electric vehicles, revolutionized space travel with his reusable rockets, and dreams of taking a human mission to Mars. Another of his ventures is to bring satellite internet to every corner of the planet through Starlink, a subsidiary of his space company SpaceX. In August, Starlink will be in a position to do so. In Chile, it has a pilot program to bring its services to schools located in two remote areas of the country: Caleta Sierra, in Coquimbo, and Sotomó, in Los Lagos. Musk's venture is enormous. He has already launched 1,500 satellites. The operation will require investments of between US$5 billion and US$10 billion until it generates positive cash flow, Musk said at the Mobile World Congress last month. And the investments needed to keep Starlink competitive are between US$20 billion and US$30 billion in the long term. What is Starlink's main goal? "Not to go bankrupt," Musk said half-jokingly during the congress.