Live Constellation / Aviation

Starlink Coverage Map

The Starlink constellation, live, calculated from public orbital data. Below: how coverage behaves over oceans and the poles, and which airlines fly under it.

~550 km
Orbit Altitude
71
Starlink Airlines
1,205
Aircraft Confirmed
LIVE
Constellation

What this map shows — and what it does not

The globe plots live Starlink satellite positions. We calculate them in your browser from the public two-line element sets that CelesTrak publishes, refreshed every six hours.

A satellite overhead does not mean WiFi on your flight. Service also needs a Starlink aviation terminal fitted to that exact airframe, an active plan from the airline, and a licence to operate in the airspace being crossed. Airlines fit their fleets one aircraft at a time, so two flights on the same route can differ.

For the authoritative service map, see Starlink Aviation. To find out what is on your aircraft, use the tail number lookup.

Coverage by sector

North Atlantic

The busiest oceanic corridor in the world, and the sector where older geostationary WiFi degrades most visibly. Laser links between satellites carry traffic across the gap between ground gateways.

Mid-Pacific

The longest stretch of open water on any commercial route. Hawaii and trans-Pacific sectors spend hours beyond the reach of any coastal gateway, so inter-satellite links carry the whole session.

Polar and high latitude

Geostationary satellites sit above the equator, so their signal arrives at a very low angle near the poles and fails above roughly 70° latitude. Starlink satellites pass overhead in inclined orbits instead.

Southern Ocean and South Atlantic

Thin gateway coverage and few land masses. Service here depends on laser relay rather than a gateway in view.

Continental airspace

Dense ground-gateway coverage over North America, Europe and East Asia. This is where service is most consistent.

Restricted airspace

Some countries do not licence Starlink. An aircraft can lose service while it crosses that airspace, even with a working terminal on board.

Airlines flying under this constellation

Confirmed Starlink operators. Open one to see the fleet rollout and which aircraft are fitted.

Why low orbit changes in-flight WiFi

Traditional in-flight WiFi uses geostationary satellites, roughly 35,786 km above the equator. A signal makes a round trip of more than 70,000 km, which adds hundreds of milliseconds of delay. That is why older in-flight WiFi loads a web page slowly and cannot hold a video call.

Starlink satellites orbit at about 550 km — some 65 times closer. The shorter path cuts latency to a level where video calls and live streaming work. The trade is that a low satellite moves fast, so the aircraft antenna must hand over from one satellite to the next continuously.

Compare what each provider actually delivers on the provider comparison, or see reported speeds on the speed test page.

Questions

Does Starlink work over the ocean? +
Yes. Starlink satellites relay traffic to each other over laser links, so an aircraft in the middle of the Pacific does not need a ground station within sight. This is the main difference from older geostationary in-flight WiFi, which weakens as an aircraft moves away from the coast.
Does Starlink work over the poles? +
Yes. Geostationary satellites sit above the equator, so near the poles their signal arrives at a very low angle and service usually fails above about 70 degrees of latitude. Starlink uses inclined orbits that pass over high latitudes, so polar and near-polar routes stay connected.
How high do Starlink satellites orbit? +
The main Starlink shell orbits at roughly 550 km. A geostationary satellite orbits at about 35,786 km. That difference is why Starlink latency is far lower: a signal has a much shorter distance to travel.
Does this map show where I will get WiFi on my flight? +
No. The globe shows live satellite positions calculated from public orbital data. Service on board also needs a Starlink terminal fitted to that specific aircraft, an active airline service plan, and a licence to operate in the airspace you are crossing. Look up your aircraft to see what is actually installed.
Is there anywhere Starlink does not work on a plane? +
Yes. Some countries do not licence Starlink, so an aircraft can lose service while crossing that airspace. Service also stops during taxi, take-off and landing on many airlines, and coverage can drop briefly during a handover between satellites.
Which airlines have Starlink? +
SeatWiFi tracks every airline with a confirmed Starlink installation or announced rollout, down to individual tail numbers. Fleets are fitted aircraft by aircraft, so a route can have Starlink on one flight and older WiFi on the next.

Flying soon?

Look up your aircraft registration to see the WiFi actually fitted to it.

Look Up Aircraft →