(Credit: AST SpaceMobile/SpaceX)
In a new regulatory salvo, SpaceX is questioning whether rival AST SpaceMobile—a Texas-based satellite company—is too closely tied to Europe.
Although it’s common for satellite players to criticize each other in regulatory filings, Elon Musk's company is now bringing geopolitics in the mix. In a 9-page filing, SpaceX urged the FCC to scrutinize AST SpaceMobile’s recent moves to establish a jointly owned European satellite service with British carrier Vodafone.
The EU has been looking for alternatives to SpaceX's Starlink, and AST has described the project as ensuring "European sovereignty" in satellite communications. However, SpaceX is subtly suggesting that AST’s business isn’t entirely aligned with US interests.
"AST’s application for a sovereign European system with an overseas 'command switch' raises fundamental interference, space sustainability, and national security concerns that require clarification and correction," SpaceX writes in its filing.
(Credit: AST/Vodafone)AST says its satellite plans with Vodafone will include a “command switch to support European oversight and security,” providing European partners with a way to modify encryption keys for satellite communications and manage the satellite beams. In an earnings call last week, AST also indicated the satellite system for Europe will be part of the satellite constellation that serves all markets, including the US.
"AST and its owners have made several claims recently that raise serious concerns about foreign control over its system," SpaceX argues. "In light of these claims, AST should clarify the extent of foreign ownership and control over its proposed system, including whether its application is more appropriately filed as a request for US market access."
The FCC is currently reviewing AST SpaceMobile’s application to operate a satellite-to-phone service in the US through AT&T and Verizon. The application’s approval is crucial, especially since AST is hoping to kick off its service sometime next year. But the same system is also poised to compete with SpaceX’s cellular Starlink service, which is already available through T-Mobile, and can power texting, mobile apps, and video calls in dead zones.
In its filing, SpaceX also claims that AST’s procedures to retire aging satellites contain “many holes,” warranting a closer look from the FCC before green-lighting the application.
“To highlight just one example, AST maintains a post-mission disposal plan to barrel-roll its satellites through other satellite constellations in order to compensate for AST’s lack of adequate fuel reserves but fails to explain how it will avoid collisions during these dangerous maneuvers,” SpaceX alleges.
On Tuesday, T-Mobile submitted its own filing to the FCC, urging the commission to "take no action" on AST's application until the company provides more details about how it’ll address potential radio interference with ground-based cellular networks.
AST didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But FCC Chair Brendan Carr has been a supporter of both SpaceX and AST SpaceMobile. In April, he posted a video of his visit to AST’s Texas headquarters, and touted the company as a counter to China’s satellite ambitions.