FCC Approves SpaceX Expansion for 7,500 More Starlink Satellites
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved SpaceX’s request to deploy another 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites, marking a major step in the company’s global internet expansion efforts. The decision increases SpaceX’s total authorised Gen2 Starlink satellites to 15,000, supporting its aim to enhance internet connectivity worldwide.
Strengthening Connectivity and Capacity
According to the FCC, the new approval allows SpaceX to upgrade its satellite technology, operate across five frequency bands, and benefit from relaxed coverage restrictions. These changes will enable improved overlapping service and boost network capacity. The additional satellites will provide direct-to-cell connectivity outside the United States and expand supplementary coverage domestically.
The expanded constellation is expected to deliver next-generation mobile services and broadband speeds reaching up to 1 gigabit per second. FCC Chair Brendan Carr described the authorisation as “a game-changer for enabling next-generation services,” adding that the approval would allow SpaceX to strengthen competition and help ensure that “no community is left behind.”
Conditional Approval and Deployment Deadlines
Although SpaceX had requested permission to deploy nearly 30,000 satellites, the FCC has so far approved only half that number. The agency said authorising 15,000 satellites was in the public interest, even though the new Gen2 models remain untested in orbit. It deferred approval for the remaining 14,988 satellites, including those proposed for operations above 600 kilometres.
The FCC’s decision requires SpaceX to deploy at least 50 per cent of the approved Gen2 satellites by December 1, 2028, and complete full deployment by December 2031. The company must also finish deploying its 7,500 first-generation satellites by late November 2027.
Reconfiguration and Space Safety
In late 2025, Starlink announced plans to reconfigure its satellite constellation by lowering operational altitudes from 550 kilometres to 480 kilometres during 2026 to improve orbital safety. The change follows a December incident in which one Starlink satellite suffered an anomaly, producing a small amount of debris and losing contact at an altitude of 418 kilometres.
SpaceX, through Starlink, remains the world’s largest satellite operator, currently managing around 9,400 satellites that deliver broadband internet to households, businesses, and governments across the globe. In 2024, former FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel called for greater competition in the satellite broadband sector, noting that Starlink controlled nearly two-thirds of all active satellites at the time.
with inputs from Reuters