Starlink kits are available from SpaceX's website and certain retail partners, but you can now snag one from a vending machine.
A listing for a Starlink Self-Serve location has been spotted on Google Maps, which shows the vending machine has been installed at a shopping mall in West Des Moines, Iowa. It appears to have popped up over the summer.
DISHYTech, which reviews the satellite internet service, uncovered the vending machine while checking out SpaceX’s recent effort to open retail locations in Nebraska and South Dakota.
"I actually found this by accident,” DISHYTech Founder Colby Baber says in a YouTube video. "So I was typing Starlink into Google Maps just to see what other kinds of stores and things popped up."
Baber also drove to the vending machine and found it to be legit; the unit is located in the Jordan Creek Town Center’s food court, and it’s designed to dispense the standard Starlink dish and accessories, including mounts and the Wi-Fi Router Mini. The Jordan Creek Town Center also lists SpaceX as a vendor, further indicating the vending machine is the real deal.
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The vending machine also offers the standard Starlink dish at a discount for only $89, instead of the usual $349. In addition, it’ll throw in a $100 service credit if you activate the dish with a monthly subscription within seven days. On the downside, the machine doesn’t include the smaller, portable Starlink Mini dish.
SpaceX didn’t respond to a request for comment, so it’s unclear if the company plans on installing more vending machines or if it’s just a pilot for now. But it’s obvious the company has become more aggressive than ever in promoting Starlink by expanding its retail presence while also offering various discounts and even cheaper plans in the US.
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About Our Expert
Michael Kan
Senior Reporter
Experience
I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.
Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. Earlier this year, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how President Trump's tariffs will affect the industry. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.