WASHINGTON, Jan 11 â The Federal Communications Commission said on Friday it has approved SpaceXâs request to deploy another 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites as it works to âboost internet service worldwide.
The FCC said Elon Muskâs SpaceX can now operate an additional 7,500 âGen2 Starlink satellites, bringing the total to 15,000 satellites worldwide.
The FCC is also allowing SpaceX to upgrade the satellites and operate across five frequencies and is waiving prior requirements that prevented overlapping coverage and enhanced capacity.
The agency said âthe additional satellites will provide direct-to-cell connectivity outside the United States and supplemental U.S. coverage, which will allow for next-generation mobile services as well as internet speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second.
âThis FCC authorisation is a game-changer for enabling next-generation services,â FCC Chair Brendan Carr said.
âBy authorising 15,000 new and advanced satellites, the FCC has given SpaceX the green light to deliver unprecedented satellite broadband capabilities, strengthen competition, and help ensure that no community is left behind.â
SpaceX has sought approval to deploy nearly 30,000 satellites but the FCC said it was for now approving only 15,000.
âWe find that authorisation for additional satellites âis in the public âinterest, even as the Gen2 Starlink Upgrade satellites remain untested on orbit. We defer authorisation of the remaining 14,988 proposed Gen2 Starlink satellites, including satellites proposed for operations above 600 km,â the FCC said.
The FCC âsaid SpaceX must launch 50% of the maximum number of authorised Gen2 satellites, place them in assigned orbits, and operate them no later than December 1, 2028, and SpaceX must launch the remaining satellites by December 2031. It must complete deployment of the 7,500 first-generation satellites by late November 2027.
Last week, Starlink said it would begin a reconfiguration of its satellite constellation by lowering all âof its satellites orbiting at around 550 km to 480 km over the course of 2026, a move to increase space safety.
Starlink said in December that one of âits satellites experienced an anomaly in space, creating a âsmallâ amount of debris and cutting off communications with âthe spacecraft at â418 km in altitude, a rare kinetic accident in orbit for the satellite internet giant.
SpaceX has become the worldâs âlargest satellite operator through Starlink, a network of about 9,400 satellites beaming broadband internet to consumers, governments and âenterprise customers.
The predecessor of FCC chief Carr, Jessica Rosenworcel, urged in 2024 â more competition to SpaceXâs internet âsatellite constellation Starlink, noting at the time that Starlink controlled nearly two-thirds of all active satellites. â Reuters
