The FCC has approved SpaceX's deployment of 7,500 Gen2 Starlink satellites at lower orbital altitudes, enabling higher throughput and sub-50ms latency globally while establishing new collision avoidance requirements.
The Federal Communications Commission has granted SpaceX partial approval to deploy 7,500 additional Gen2 Starlink satellites, expanding the company's authorized constellation to 15,000 spacecraft. This regulatory decision enables SpaceX to proceed with critical infrastructure deployment for its next-generation satellite broadband service while deferring judgment on the remaining 15,000 satellites in SpaceX's original 30,000-satellite proposal.
The authorization includes significant technical modifications to Starlink's orbital architecture. The FCC approved new orbital shells at reduced altitudes, including:
- 340km and 365km shells (versus Gen1's 550km baseline)
- Additional shells between 475km and 485km
These lower orbits reduce signal latency to under 50 milliseconds for user terminals while accelerating atmospheric re-entry of defunct satellites from years to months. However, the altitude reduction increases launch frequency requirements by approximately 60% to maintain equivalent coverage, according to aerospace engineering models.
Spectrum authorizations cover multiple frequency bands:
- Ku-band (12-18GHz) and Ka-band (26-40GHz) for user terminals
- V-band (40-75GHz), E-band (60-90GHz), and W-band (75-110GHz) for gateway backhaul
- Supplemental Coverage from Space operations in 1910-1915MHz uplink and 1990-1995MHz downlink bands
The approval mandates SpaceX to deploy 50% of the new satellites (3,750 units) by December 2028 and the full complement by December 2031. FCC documentation indicates SpaceX must maintain collision probability below 1-in-100,000 per satellite and submit quarterly debris mitigation reports. The Bureau retains authority to halt deployments if collision risk exceeds predefined thresholds.
Market analysis indicates this expansion could increase Starlink's theoretical throughput capacity by 40-60% compared to current Gen1 capabilities. Lower orbital shells reduce signal path length by 38% at 340km versus 550km orbits, directly translating to latency reductions. These technical improvements position Starlink to compete more effectively with terrestrial 5G networks in underserved markets while potentially reducing subscription costs by 15-20% through improved spectral efficiency.
The partial authorization reflects the FCC's balancing act between enabling broadband expansion and addressing orbital congestion concerns. With over 4,500 operational Starlink satellites already in orbit and competitors like Amazon's Project Kuiper planning 3,236 satellites, regulatory scrutiny on collision avoidance protocols and spectrum coordination will intensify. SpaceX's next-generation satellite design incorporates improved propulsion and automated collision avoidance, but the accelerated deployment schedule presents significant launch cadence challenges requiring 40-50 additional Falcon flights by 2031.
Luke James is a freelance writer and journalist specializing in technology regulation and microelectronics.
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