Overview
- The Federal Communications Commission cleared SpaceX to deploy and operate up to 15,000 second‑generation Starlink satellites after granting authorization for another 7,500 spacecraft.
- With the new authorization, Starlink can provide both fixed broadband and mobile service across its second‑generation fleet.
- SpaceX recently moved to bolster mobile capacity with a reported $17 billion purchase of 50 MHz of spectrum from EchoStar and a separate 10 MHz lease from T‑Mobile.
- Competitors including Viasat and Globalstar filed petitions to deny broader expansion plans, warning of interference risks and reduced access to scarce orbital and spectrum resources.
- FCC Chair Brendan Carr, who announced the approval, has backed SpaceX’s expansion and previously pressed EchoStar to sell licenses now being acquired by the company.