SpaceX was given partial approval by US authorities to operate Starlink satellites Thursday. The Elon Musk-owned company was given the go-ahead to launch 7,500 satellites out of the proposed fleet of about 30,000 satellites.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the step in the authorization notice published Thursday. The Hawthorne, California-based satellite communications company was approved to operate Gen 2 Starlink satellites between 326 and 332 miles at three different altitudes. The FCC said in its note that it was not taking action on approving the balance SpaceX satellites application at this point.
The FCC notice said their approval would allow SpaceX to bring the next generation satellite broadband to the citizens nationwide.
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. the spacecraft manufacturer and satellite communications launcher company, was founded by Elon Musk in 2002. The corporation’s objective was to reduce transportation costs to space and enable Mars colonization.
The closely held company told FCC in May this year that it had launched 2500 first-generation satellites from the 4400 Starlinks, which FCC authorized in 2018. The company caters to more than 400,000 subscribers globally, including tens of thousands in the United States.
Faster Broadband
SpaceX Starlink is part of the growing network of 3,500 satellites with low earth orbits. Consumers have been paying an average of $599 for a user terminal and a monthly subscription of $110. The low-orbit satellites ensure a shorter distance to the earth and allow fast broadband to pass signals. So far, communication satellites have operated at higher orbits.
Amazon.com Inc. and OneWeb Ltd. are competitors to SpaceX, operating in their constellation. The networks by operators are in various stages of development in China, Canada, and European countries.
Customers can receive signals from Starlink by installing small dishes on their homes and business premises. The satellite system is designed in such a manner to serve rural and remote locations. In June, SpaceX got permission to offer aircraft service.
SpaceX had told FCC earlier that the addition of aircraft fleet substantially will help to increase capacity. The robust broadband will help to increase the number of consumers, including those in remote and rural areas.
Rival’s Concern
Viasat Inc., a rival company of SpaceX, asked the FCC to deny permission to SpaceX’s request, saying that it increased the risk of in-orbit collisions between satellites. SpaceX refuted this by saying that its satellites can move around and its fleet has low collision risks.
Kuiper Systems, owned by Amazon, has plans for its constellations. They told FCC that expansion plans of SpaceX posed threats to competitors and space safety and asked for restrictions on Space X.
