SpaceX wants to launch the first group of second-generation Starlink satellites as soon as this month, according to regulatory filings.
The company mentioned the timeline in Friday FCC filings. “SpaceX currently anticipates that it will begin launching Gen2 satellites before the end of December 2022,” it said.
SpaceX has already scheduled a Starlink launch for Dec. 28. Whether second-gen satellites will be on board remains unclear. But the filing shows the company is ready to begin constructing the orbital broadband network after the FCC gave conditional approval to the second-gen Starlink network on Dec. 1.
In the filings, the company also requests authority to let the second-gen satellites communicate with the whole range of existing Starlink dishes on the ground. To do so, SpaceX has filed for both a “special temporary authority” and a permanent change on its Starlink “user terminal” application to secure the necessary FCC approval.
“Granting this STA (special temporary authority) would serve the public interest by allowing users across America, especially those in underserved or unserved areas, to access the increased capacity for low-latency broadband services from SpaceX’s upgraded, next-generation NGSO system as soon as its satellites are deployed,” the company added.
That’s good news for customers. Throughout this year, speeds for Starlink have decreased for many users across North America. The reason: The service is so popular that customers are stretching the capacity for the satellite internet network, resulting in congestion.
The second-generation satellites promise to relieve the congestion woes. For now, the FCC has cleared SpaceX to operate 7,500 of them across Earth’s orbit, in addition to the 4,408 satellites for the first-gen Starlink network.
The company plans on launching the second-gen satellites through both Falcon 9 rockets and its upcoming Starship craft. “Although its specific launch cadence is being finalized, SpaceX anticipates launching satellites into the Gen2 constellation at a rate of at least once per week during 2023, with a more rapid cadence over time,” the company told the FCC in October.