en.Wedoany.com Reported - SpaceX released a job posting in April 2026, seeking a Senior RF Front-End Module Design Engineer for its Starlink Mobile satellite-to-phone service. According to SpaceX's official careers page, the position is located in Redmond, Washington, with an annual salary range of $160,000 to $225,000. The engineer will be responsible for developing cutting-edge RF modules for the Starlink Mobile network, covering the entire process from specification development and material selection to design simulation, integration manufacturing, and mass production optimization.
The RF front-end module is a core component in smartphones that works in conjunction with the modem. It consists of an antenna, a signal tuner, and a power amplifier, responsible for transmitting and receiving radio signals and filtering noise. The SpaceX job requirements clearly state that the engineer will need to design multi-chip modules containing RF front-end components for use in 5G NR, LTE, and Wi-Fi scenarios. The job description requires integrating the RF modules into mass-produced printed circuit board assemblies and performing yield analysis and design improvements to support large-scale production.
This in-house component development is related to SpaceX's plan to upgrade Starlink Mobile services using EchoStar's spectrum. On September 8, 2025, SpaceX and EchoStar signed a definitive agreement for SpaceX to acquire EchoStar's AWS-4 and H-block spectrum licenses for approximately $17 billion. SpaceX plans to utilize this spectrum with its next-generation satellites, scheduled for launch by mid-2027, to provide ground users with 5G connections of up to 150 Mbps, a significant increase from the current 4 Mbps. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stated at the All-In Summit in September 2025 that chip manufacturers would need about two years to modify chips to be compatible with the AWS-4 spectrum, and phones supporting this spectrum are expected to ship two years later.
SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell said in the transaction announcement that the next-generation Starlink direct-to-cell satellites will achieve a performance leap, enhancing global user coverage capabilities. On February 26, 2026, Keysight Technologies announced at MWC 2026 its collaboration with Samsung Electronics' System LSI Business Unit to verify low-Earth orbit satellite mobility and handover performance using Samsung's NR-NTN modem, with test parameters aligned with Starlink deployment scenarios. Currently, Starlink Mobile is primarily offered as a paid add-on service through T-Mobile. In the future, it will expand to EchoStar's Boost Mobile. Prepaid carrier US Mobile has also indicated it will offer satellite-to-phone services.
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