The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved the deployment of an additional 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites. With the regulator’s decision, SpaceX is authorized to deploy 15,000 Gen2 satellites, as well as the right to upgrade the platform and operate in five frequency bands.
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved the deployment of an additional 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites. With the regulator’s decision, SpaceX is authorized to deploy 15,000 Gen2 satellites, as well as the right to upgrade the platform and operate in five frequency bands.
According to Reuters, the regulator expects the new batch of satellites to provide direct-to-cell connectivity outside the US and additional coverage in the US market. The FCC says it paves the way for the «next generation» of mobile services, as well as satellite internet speeds of up to 1 Gbps. Commission Chairman Brendan Carr called the approval «a milestone» for the development of satellite broadband.
Meanwhile, SpaceX has requested approval for nearly 30,000 satellites, but the FCC has so far approved only half of its applications. Decisions on the remaining 14,988 satellites have been postponed, including those the company proposed to place in orbits above 600 km. In the document, the commission notes that additional deployments are in the public interest, even though the upgraded Gen2 satellites remain «untested» in real-world orbit conditions.
Separately, the FCC tied the permit to a launch schedule. SpaceX must launch and operate at least 50% of the maximum number of Gen2s allowed by December 1, 2028, and deploy the remaining satellites by December 2031. In addition, the company must complete the deployment of 7,500 first-generation satellites by the end of November 2027.
Previously, dev.ua wrote about how Starlink has begun a large-scale «reconfiguration» of its satellite constellation: 4,400 devices will be transferred to a lower orbit to reduce the risk of incidents in oversaturated space traffic.
