SpaceX is preparing to use both Falcon 9 rockets and its upcoming Starship craft to build the company's second-generation Starlink satellite internet network.
The company mentioned the change in a Friday regulatory filing with the FCC. According to SpaceX, the plan should "further accelerate" the deployment schedule for a second-gen Starlink system, which will span nearly 30,000 orbiting satellites.
"Specifically, SpaceX plans to launch satellites for its Gen2 constellation beginning with its three 500-kilometer (orbital) shells, followed by satellites in its lower-altitude shells. The result will be that more Americans will receive high-quality broadband faster," the company said in the filing.
Originally, SpaceX had planned on using its Starship craft to deploy second-generation Starlink satellites. The vessel can carry as many as 400 satellites per launch, a major increase from the 60 satellites a standard Falcon 9 rocket can carry into space.
SpaceX is still aiming to embark on a full-scale orbital test flight with Starship sometime later this year. However, the company still needs to implement dozens of environmental mitigations before it can begin the orbital test launch. In the meantime, SpaceX tells the FCC it can begin launching second-gen Starlink satellites using existing Falcon 9 rockets.
“To be clear, while SpaceX plans to accelerate deployment by using both of the rockets in its fleet, it remains committed to deploying all of its satellites—whether from Starship or from Falcon 9—into orbits described in Configuration 1,” the company added. SpaceX finalized its proposal for this configuration back in January, and it involves placing the second-gen Starlink satellites across nine different orbits.
“While SpaceX will use technically identical satellites on both rockets, the physical structures will be tailored to meet the physical dimensions of the rockets on which they will be launched,” SpaceX said.
The high-speed internet from the second-generation Starlink satellites will work with existing consumer Starlink dishes on the ground. So its deployment could help address congestion problems some Starlink users are starting to encounter. However, the company is still waiting for the FCC’s regulatory approval on launching the second-gen Starlink network at a time when rivals either oppose or have reservations about the proposal.
Indeed, much of SpaceX’s filing tries to reassure the FCC that its nearly 30,000 satellite network won’t pose an orbital hazard or create radio interference. The first-gen Starlink network is designed to span only 4,400 satellites. Over 2,800 of those satellites are currently in operation.