SpaceX is dropping an FCC request asking for two satellite configurations for a second-generation Starlink network.
Instead, the company is only requesting FCC clearance for the primary configuration of the second-gen Starlink constellation, citing progress on SpaceX’s Starship vehicle, which promises to soon carry the satellites into orbit.
“Much has changed in the intervening period, and SpaceX has exceeded its own expectations in the pace of developing both its Gen2 satellites and its Starship launch vehicle,” SpaceX lawyers told the FCC in a letter last Friday.
The same letter notes SpaceX “still intends to begin launching the Gen2 system as early as March 2022,” right after the Federal Aviation Administration finishes a review of the launch site for the Starship craft.
The company’s original request for two configurations were met with heated opposition from Amazon and other satellite internet companies last year for allegedly breaking FCC rules. Already, SpaceX has clearance to operate a first-gen Starlink constellation of 4,408 satellites. However, the company is also seeking regulatory approval for an even larger, second-gen, constellation that’ll span nearly 30,000 satellites.
Originally, the company submitted two configurations for the 30,000-satellite network, which would take up a significant chunk of orbital space. But according to SpaceX, the second configuration was merely designed to act as a backup in the event that its Starship vehicle faced delays, which would force SpaceX to use its Falcon 9 rockets to send up the satellites.
However, Amazon and others argued SpaceX’s proposal would set a bad precedent if it received approval from the FCC. Then companies across the industry could file “speculative” applications in an attempt to lock in access for various satellite configurations, rivals claimed.
In last Friday’s letter, SpaceX lawyers said it never planned on operating satellites across both configurations. Rather, the goal was to “account for uncertainty in development, given the long lead times often required for Commission consideration of applications,” the lawyers added.
With the plan now consolidated into one satellite configuration, SpaceX is calling on the FCC to quickly approve clearance for the second-gen Starlink network, despite possible objections from competitors seeking to delay the process.
“By announcing that it will pursue Configuration 1, SpaceX has now removed that burden from these lawyers and lobbyists (from rival companies), meaning no further extensions should be necessary,” SpaceX lawyers said. “Accordingly, the Commission should look upon any extension requests with great skepticism and deny such requests in the absence of compelling circumstances that explain the failure to use the many months these Applications have been pending to prepare a timely submission.”
The second-generation Starlink network promises to help SpaceX supply high-speed broadband to even more customers at better quality. The company’s letter to the FCC also notes existing Starlink customers will be able to receive service from either Starlink constellation.