KDDI Completes Japan’s First Starlink Direct-to-Drone Flight Test

Remote drone operations have largely depended on terrestrial mobile networks, leaving coverage gaps over mountains and in disaster zones where base stations may be unavailable. KDDI and KDDI SmartDrone are using SpaceX’s Starlink Mobile network through au Starlink Direct to address that constraint. Linking satellite connectivity with the Skydio X10’s AI-assisted navigation and obstacle avoidance could expand remote search-and-rescue, infrastructure inspection and data-collection missions when ground communications fail.

KDDI and KDDI SmartDrone said on July 22, 2026, that they had completed the test on May 18 in Takahagi, Ibaraki Prefecture, with Starlink’s approval. The companies described it as Japan’s first flight-control trial using a direct Starlink Mobile connection to a drone. In an area without terrestrial mobile coverage, the Skydio X10 exchanged control commands and telemetry over au Starlink Direct. KDDI aims to enable a remotely piloted drone to reach any location in Japan within 10 minutes and will next test network handovers and beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations.