Not content with developing reusable rockets, planning to take humans to Mars, and having a Roadster in space, Elon Musk also wants to improve the internet here on Earth using satellites. The FCC just approved SpaceX's revised plans to do just that.
SpaceX's plan is to develop a satellite constellation that offers a low-cost, high performance solution to providing fast internet access. It's called Starlink and will consist of close to 12,000 satellites eventually, spread across multiple orbits. Until now, the FCC had approved 4,425 Starlink satellites for deployment in orbits ranging from 1,110 to 1,325 kilometers.
As The Verge reports, SpaceX realized the selected range of orbits wasn't good enough after launching two demo satellites back in February. It was then requested that 1,584 of the satellites be allowed to fly in a much lower orbit at 550 kilometers. The FCC has now approved the change (PDF).
By lowering the orbit, SpaceX realized it could cut transmission latency to just 15 milliseconds while achieving the same amount of coverage using 16 fewer satellites. Any Starlink satellites that fail at this height will still burn up in Earth's atmosphere, so there's no additional risk of debris compared to satellites in higher orbits.
Rival satellite internet company OneWeb and satellite operator Kepler both filed complaints regarding SpaceX's request for the orbit change. They argued interference would become a factor due to the similar frequencies being used across their satellites, but the FCC doesn't believe it will cause a problem.
With the revised approval granted, SpaceX now has until March 29, 2024 to deploy half of the proposed 4,425 satellites. As with most ventures Elon Musk undertakes, he plans to easily beat the deadline and SpaceX apparently already has satellites ready at the launch site.