Particle.news
Download on the App Store

FCC Authorizes 7,500 More Starlink Gen2 Satellites, Lifting Total Approval to 15,000

Regulators say the expanded license supports global broadband plus mobile coverage under new safety reporting requirements.

Overview

  • SpaceX’s new authority covers upgraded Gen2 designs, operations across additional frequencies for FSS and MSS, and deployment in more orbital shells.
  • The FCC attached obligations for detailed reporting on satellite disposal practices and collision‑avoidance measures.
  • Viasat and GlobalStar petitioned to block the request, warning of interference risks and competitive impacts on access to limited spectrum and orbital resources.
  • SpaceX recently shifted roughly 4,400 operational satellites from about 341 miles to 298 miles in altitude to lower collision risk in low Earth orbit.
  • The company disclosed a malfunctioning Starlink it could not control and a separate close pass within about 200 meters of a Chinese competitor’s spacecraft activity.