FCC tells SpaceX it can deploy up to 11,943 broadband satellites
FCC tells SpaceX it can deploy up to 11,943 broadband
satellites
Initial launch of 4,425 satellites to be followed by
7,518 closer to the ground.
JON BRODKIN - 11/15/2018, 1:30 PM
SpaceX today received US approval to deploy 7,518
broadband satellites, in addition to the 4,425 satellites that were approved
eight months ago.
The Federal Communications Commission voted to let SpaceX
launch 4,425 low-Earth orbit satellites in March of this year. SpaceX
separately sought approval for 7,518 satellites operating even closer to the
ground, saying that these will boost capacity and reduce latency in heavily populated
areas. That amounts to 11,943 satellites in total for SpaceX's Starlink
broadband service.
SpaceX "proposes to add a very-low Earth orbit
(VLEO) NGSO [non-geostationary satellite orbit] constellation, consisting of
7,518 satellites operating at altitudes from 335km to 346km," the FCC said
in the draft of the order that it approved unanimously today. The newly
approved satellites would use frequencies between 37.5 and 42GHz for
space-to-Earth transmissions and frequencies between 47.2 and 51.4GHz for
Earth-to-space transmissions, the FCC said.
"After review of the record, we conclude that
granting of the SpaceX application will serve the public interest,"
subject to conditions related to power levels, avoidance of interference with
other systems, and prevention of space debris, the FCC said.
The FCC today also approved US market entry for smaller
satellite systems being built by Kepler Communications, Telesat Canada, and
LeoSat. These systems consist of 140 satellites for Kepler, 117 satellites for
Telesat, and 78 satellites for LeoSat, the FCC said. Unlike SpaceX, these three
satellite systems would get their primary approvals from foreign governments,
but they still need FCC approval for access to the US market.
"From providing high-speed broadband services in
remote areas to offering global connectivity to the Internet of Things through
'routers in space' for data backhaul, I'm excited to see what services these
proposed constellations have to offer," FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said today.
"Our approach to these applications reflects this commission's fundamental
approach: encourage the private sector to invest and innovate and allow market
forces to deliver value to American consumers."
Cable-like latency
SpaceX's initial 4,425 satellites are expected to orbit
at altitudes of 1,110km to 1,325km, a fraction of the altitude of traditional
broadband satellites. Because of the low orbits, SpaceX says its broadband
network will have latencies as low as 25ms, similar to cable or fiber systems.
SpaceX has also said it will provide gigabit speeds and that it will provide
broadband access worldwide.
FCC rules require the launch of 50 percent of satellites
within six years of authorization and all of them within nine years unless a
waiver is granted.
For the batch of 7,518 satellites, SpaceX asked the FCC
to apply the six-year milestone only to an initial deployment of 1,600
satellites. But the FCC denied the request, saying that "SpaceX has not
provided sufficient grounds for a waiver of the Commission's final
implementation milestone requirement."
SpaceX thus has to deploy half of the 7,518 newly
approved satellites within six years and the remaining satellites within nine
years unless it successfully re-applies for a waiver.
"SpaceX can resubmit this request in the future,
when it will have more information about the progress of the construction and
launching of its satellites and will therefore be in a better position to
assess the need and justification for a waiver," the FCC wrote.
The FCC's March 2018 approval of SpaceX's first batch of
satellites required SpaceX to launch 50 percent of the 4,425 satellites by
March 2024 and all of them by March 2027.
The FCC today also voted to start the process of letting
satellites in low Earth orbit use certain frequency bands to provide services
to ships, airplanes, and vehicles.
Space debris
The SpaceX launch and other planned satellite
constellations could increase the risk of satellite collisions and space
debris, as we reported last year.
That's why the FCC today said it has "initiated a
comprehensive review of its orbital-debris mitigation rules."
As of April 2018, there were 1,886 operating satellites
orbiting Earth. The number of objects classified as debris is much greater.
"Orbital debris objects greater than one centimeter
in diameter can cause catastrophic damage to functional spacecraft," the
FCC proposal said. About 500,000 objects between one and 10cm "were
estimated to be in orbit as of 2012," and at least 23,000 were man-made,
the FCC said.
The FCC said it is "propos[ing] changes to improve
disclosure of debris mitigation plans" and seeking public comment on
"satellite disposal reliability and methodology, appropriate deployment
altitudes in low-Earth-orbit, and on-orbit lifetime, with a particular focus on
large NGSO satellite constellations."
SpaceX has submitted debris mitigation plans, but the FCC
said it still needs more details from the company.
"[W]hile we appreciate the level of detail and
analysis that SpaceX has provided for its orbital-debris mitigation and
end-of-life disposal plans, we conclude that the unprecedented number of
satellites proposed by SpaceX and the other NGSO FSS [fixed-satellite service]
systems in this processing round will necessitate a further assessment of the
appropriate reliability standards of these spacecraft, as well as the
reliability of these systems' methods for deorbiting the spacecraft," the
FCC said in today's SpaceX approval. "Accordingly, we condition grant of
the application on SpaceX presenting and the Commission granting a modification
of this space station grant to include a final orbital debris mitigation
plan."
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