{"id":622528,"date":"2025-12-09T16:42:21","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T16:42:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/622528\/"},"modified":"2025-12-09T16:42:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T16:42:21","slug":"spacex-quietly-installs-starlink-vending-machine-in-iowa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/622528\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX Quietly Installs Starlink Vending Machine in Iowa"},"content":{"rendered":"

Starlink<\/a> kits are available from SpaceX’s website and certain retail partners, but you can now snag one from a vending machine.<\/p>\n

A listing for a Starlink Self-Serve location has been spotted<\/a> on Google Maps, which shows the vending machine has been installed at a shopping mall in West Des Moines, Iowa.\u00a0It appears to have popped up over the summer.<\/p>\n

DISHYTech, which reviews the satellite internet service, uncovered the vending machine while checking out SpaceX\u2019s recent effort to open retail locations<\/a> in Nebraska and South Dakota.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I actually found this by accident,\u201d DISHYTech Founder Colby Baber says in a YouTube video<\/a>. “So I was typing Starlink into Google Maps just to see what other kinds of stores and things popped up.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Baber also drove to the vending machine and found it to be legit; the unit is located in the Jordan Creek Town Center\u2019s food court, and it\u2019s designed to dispense the standard Starlink dish and accessories, including mounts and the Wi-Fi Router Mini<\/a>.\u00a0The Jordan Creek Town Center also lists<\/a> SpaceX as a vendor, further indicating the vending machine is the real deal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Recommended by Our Editors<\/p>\n

The vending machine also offers the standard Starlink dish at a discount for only $89, instead of the usual $349. In addition, it\u2019ll throw in a $100 service credit if you activate the dish with a monthly subscription within seven days.\u00a0On the downside, the machine doesn\u2019t include the smaller, portable Starlink Mini<\/a> dish. <\/p>\n

SpaceX didn\u2019t respond to a request for comment, so it\u2019s unclear if the company plans on installing more vending machines or if it\u2019s just a pilot for now. But it\u2019s 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<\/a> in the US.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Experience<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. Earlier this year, the FTC forced Avast<\/a> to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation<\/a> with Motherboard.<\/p>\n

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n


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