If you bought StarLink’s $1,999 Performance Dish, or the new “advanced power supply,” expect to receive replacement power cables for free.
SpaceX has identified a quality control issue with waterproofing on the cables after releasing the new dish and PSU in June.
“In December 2025, StarLink began issuing free replacement AC and DC power cables to customers with Performance (Gen 3) kits and/or advanced power supply units,” the company wrote in a support page on StarLink.com.
(starlink.com)
The company wrote that SpaceX found the cables “did not meet our quality standards”. The Gen 3 Performance Dish, which bundles an advanced power supply, was designed to operate in harsh weather and harsh environments, including on boats.
The support page adds, “The advanced power supply unit was tested and qualified for IPX8 water ingress protection.” “However, due to the potential issue identified, affected units may be more susceptible to water penetration when submerged or exposed to powerful water jets.”
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(starlink.com)
The support page goes on to show the problem when cabling was used in a wet environment. “To ensure continued product reliability, please install the replacement AC or DC cables included in this package for the affected advanced power supply unit in your account,” the notice added.
The company posted a support page after the advanced power supply mysteriously disappeared from the online StarLink shop, where it was originally sold for $200. SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But a quality control problem may explain why the product was manufactured.
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About our expert
Michael Kahn
Senior reporter
Experience
I have 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 am 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 regulatory battles over expanding satellite constellations, battles with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and efforts to expand satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and reached out 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 $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling its personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint Investigation Along with the 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. Now I’m following how President Trump’s tariffs will affect the industry. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump into the comments with feedback and send me pointers.
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