Starlink Mini 2 Adds a Quick-Swap Battery and Wi-Fi 6, With $999 Invite-Only Preorders

SpaceX's second portable dish runs up to 4.5 hours on a removable 71Wh pack, charges over USB-C and ships to invited US customers from mid-December.

STARBASE, Texas - SpaceX has introduced Starlink Mini 2, a second-generation portable satellite dish that carries its own battery. The company announced it on X on Tuesday, saying the terminal gets “up to 4.5 hours of connectivity on a single charge with the quick-swap battery, or plug in with USB-C.” Preorders are open by invitation to select customers in the United States, according to the Mini 2 page, which says the dish is “coming soon to more customers and countries.”

The battery is the headline. The original Mini needed outside power through a DC cable, and a cottage industry of third-party power banks grew up around it. Mini 2 builds the pack into the design. It clips onto the back of the dish with a quick-release latch, weighs 490 grams and holds 71 watt-hours. The pack has its own USB-C port and a charge indicator, so a spare can be topped up separately and swapped in. Starlink says the dish stays online while the battery charges, and that additional batteries will be sold separately.

Mini 2 is about the footprint of a laptop and 23.1 millimeters thin. Image: Starlink

Power now runs entirely over USB-C. The dish and the battery both charge at 60 watts, and Starlink’s spec sheet lists the battery’s USB-C output at up to 60 watts as well. A physical power button sits on the dish, along with a battery indicator. In the box are the dish, the battery, a kickstand, a 60-watt power supply and a three-meter USB-C cable.

The rear of Mini 2, with the removable battery and its quick-release latch. Image: Starlink

The rest of the hardware is built for the outdoors. Starlink lists the dish at 263 by 314 by 23.1 millimeters and 1.6 kilograms with the battery and kickstand attached. It carries an IP67 rating, a 110-degree field of view and a standard 1/4-20 camera thread for tripod mounting. The built-in router moves to Wi-Fi 6, which Starlink rates for up to 1,800 square feet of coverage. The company says users can get online in about 60 seconds with a clear view of the sky.

Starlink pitches Mini 2 for setups away from a power outlet. Image: Starlink

Starlink has not posted a public price on its website. Invitation emails described by PCMag and The Verge set the preorder at $999 plus tax, which includes 12 months of Roam Unlimited service. The email PCMag quoted asks for a refundable $100 deposit, with the remaining $899 charged when the dish ships, and estimates shipments beginning in mid-December. The Verge reports that SpaceX values the included year of service at $2,100.

Starlink’s announcement of Mini 2 on Nov. 10. Screenshot: @Starlink on X

That makes the first wave an early-adopter bundle rather than a hardware price. PCMag notes that the original Mini also arrived through an invite program in 2024 and has since been discounted to as low as $149. Customers who did not get an invitation can sign up for availability alerts on starlink.com.