Saudi Arabia has approved the use of SpaceX’s Starlink service for aviation and maritime shipping.

This follows the kingdom securing US$600 billion in investment commitments during President Trump’s visit to Riyadh.

The announcement was made at a summit on May 13, attended by Elon Musk, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Amazon CEO Andy Jassy.

Starlink, operated by SpaceX, uses low Earth orbit satellites to provide broadband coverage. It’s unclear whether the approval in Saudi Arabia will extend to residential use.

Other countries in the region, including Qatar, Bahrain, and Jordan, already allow Starlink operations, with Qatar Airways integrating it on its Boeing 777 fleet.

🔗 Source: Bloomberg

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ SpaceX’s long-term strategy in Saudi Arabia is bearing fruit

The Starlink authorization in Saudi Arabia builds upon a relationship that began years before this announcement.

SpaceX first established business ties with Saudi Arabia in 2015 when it secured a contract to launch the Arabsat 6A satellite, which was part of a broader $650 million satellite development program 1.

This partnership culminated in April 2019 when SpaceX successfully launched Arabsat 6A on its Falcon Heavy rocket, marking SpaceX’s first commercial mission with a paying customer 2.

The progression from launching Saudi satellites to now providing Starlink services demonstrates how SpaceX has methodically deepened its business relationship with the kingdom over a decade.

This long-term approach reveals Musk’s patience in building presence in the Saudi market before securing broader service authorizations, similar to SpaceX’s gradual expansion strategy in other regulated markets.

2️⃣ The pattern of sector-by-sector Starlink deployment in the Middle East

Saudi Arabia’s authorization of Starlink specifically for aviation and maritime applications follows a strategic regional pattern for SpaceX.

In neighboring Qatar, Starlink began with aviation applications when Qatar Airways started rolling out satellite internet for passengers across its Boeing 777 fleet last year, as mentioned in the original article.

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