SpaceX Granted Approval to Launch 7,000 Satellites

SpaceX’s plan to beam broadband internet to earth from a constellation of thousands of satellites crossed a hurdle this week when it won permission from U.S. regulators to launch the spacecraft.

This week’s decision included a plan for more than 7,000 satellites, which is in addition to 4,425 satellites that were previously approved. SpaceX has said it plans to begin launches next year. The company launched in April its first test prototype satellites, known as Tintin A and B.

SpaceX is calling the constellation “Starlink.” The system will be operational once it hits 800 satellites.

Over the past year, the Federal Communications Commission  has approved requests by OneWeb, Space Norway, and Telesat to access the U.S. market to provide broadband services using satellite technology.

 

[Brando]

OMG - about time cable companies had their internet monopolies challenged.

 

[ecarfan]

This FCC decision is certainly good news for SpaceX, ,which now faces an incredible challenge; not just to build an unprecedented number of satellites and make the constellation function, but to launch that enormous number within the specified timeframe. It seems impossible, but if anyone can do it, SpaceX can. Or more accurately, SpaceX is the only company/government/organization that has the potential capability to meet such a challenge.

Can someone offer insight into why the FCC specifies a timeframe for launching the permitted number of satellites? Why should it matter whether SpaceX launches a specific number within X years?

The FCC decision does allow SpaceX to resubmit their application before they timeframe is up if they have not been able to launch the specified number of satellites, but there is no guarantee a resubmitted application will be approved.

 

[scaesare]

Can someone offer insight into why the FCC specifies a timeframe for launching the permitted number of satellites? Why should it matter whether SpaceX launches a specific number within X years?

This is a complete SWAG, but I'd guess that the permission granted to take up a finite valuable space in earth orbit is something that they don't want to just leave open forever. Sooner or later another request will come in for that orbital slot, and they don't want a 10-yr-old unused grant lying around that would conflict with that future usage.

 

[ecarfan]

I can understand that line of reasoning, but the timeframe required by the FCC seems unnecessarily restrictive.

Here’s a more complete article about the issue
FCC tells SpaceX it can deploy up to 11,943 broadband satellites

QUOTE; “For the batch of 7,518 satellites, SpaceX asked the FCC to apply the six-year milestone only to an initial deployment of 1,600 satellites. But the FCC denied the request, saying that "SpaceX has not provided sufficient grounds for a waiver of the Commission's final implementation milestone requirement."

SpaceX thus has to deploy half of the 7,518 newly approved satellites within six years and the remaining satellites within nine years unless it successfully re-applies for a waiver.”
———————————————————————————————-

It appears to me that the FCC timeframe is an arbitrary one. What SpaceX is trying to accomplish is literally orders of magnitude more difficult than any previous sat constellation. They are going to need more time.

 

[electracity]

This means Tesla will be launching over 1000 of these satellites per year forever (assuming low orbit satellites last 5 years).

I wonder if the tech exists today for a mobile device to track this kind of system, considering the frequent handoffs.

 

[MountainRatMat]

Elon stated previously the receiver was about the size of a pizza box so not a good application for mobile.

 

[adiggs]

I can understand that line of reasoning, but the timeframe required by the FCC seems unnecessarily restrictive.

Here’s a more complete article about the issue
FCC tells SpaceX it can deploy up to 11,943 broadband satellites

QUOTE; “For the batch of 7,518 satellites, SpaceX asked the FCC to apply the six-year milestone only to an initial deployment of 1,600 satellites. But the FCC denied the request, saying that "SpaceX has not provided sufficient grounds for a waiver of the Commission's final implementation milestone requirement."

SpaceX thus has to deploy half of the 7,518 newly approved satellites within six years and the remaining satellites within nine years unless it successfully re-applies for a waiver.”
———————————————————————————————-

It appears to me that the FCC timeframe is an arbitrary one. What SpaceX is trying to accomplish is literally orders of magnitude more difficult than any previous sat constellation. They are going to need more time.

As a practical matter, if SpaceX is clearly into deployment mode and deploying quickly within the 6/9 year timeframe, then whether the actual delivery to orbit will take 5 years or 12, they'l get the extension they need to complete the constellation.

The only practical exception I can see is if some other company building a constellation is getting their constellation into space faster / more completely and they can make a reasonable claim that they're delivering, SpaceX isn't, and those orbit slots SpaceX ISN'T using are needed / will be used by this mythical second constellation.

So SpaceX needs to move with urgency (as if that's a problem), and needs to show a functional system, significant volume in orbit (which of course is a precursor to a functional system), and a process that yields significant progress towards the completed constellation on a regular cadence.


I of course can be wrong - this is all my opinion.

"SpaceX can resubmit this request in the future, when it will have more information about the progress of the construction and launching of its satellites and will therefore be in a better position to assess the need and justification for a waiver," the FCC wrote.

I read this comment by the FCC generously. Get a bunch of the constellation into orbit, turning a future wish into a functional process for building and launching these things, establish a cadence, and then if it's going to take 10 years to get the full constellation built, come back with cold hard data from real results and a waiver will be easy.

 

[RDoc]

Elon stated previously the receiver was about the size of a pizza box so not a good application for mobile.

Could this open up a market for local cellular systems for less populated areas with the internet connection being via satellite? They'd need power, but that's pretty widely available.

 

[Ulmo]

This means Tesla will be launching over 1000 of these satellites per year forever (assuming low orbit satellites last 5 years).

Yeah. Maybe closer to 1,500/y if they're not that reliable. Hopefully they are reliable, so it can be closer to 800/y long term. They might want to rush them up and do like 2,000/y to 3,000/y. Fun!

I wonder if the tech exists today for a mobile device to track this kind of system, considering the frequent handoffs.

I don't see what the issue would be. Mobile devices would find some channels that are good enough, start communication, and the protocol would inform the devices of the optimum channels to use at any given moment regardless of whatever complications you're dreaming of. Programmers would figure that out without much effort. The whole pizza-box-sized antenna thing would make this for mobile devices that are larger than pocket radios, like container ships and airplanes and whatever else wants to have a pizza-box-sized antenna on it for this. Nothing says THAT device can't then have local pocket radios that communicate with it. I use the word "radio" loosely.