FCC Authorizes 7,500 More Starlink Gen2 Satellites, Cites Testing Conditions

The Federal Communications Commission on Friday authorized Space Exploration Technologies Corp. to construct, deploy and operate 7,500 additional second-generation Starlink satellites, bringing the total number of Gen2 satellites authorized by the agency to 15,000 worldwide. The action was issued in a 34-page order that also left unresolved roughly half of SpaceX’s near-30,000 Gen2 request, pending in-orbit testing and further evaluation of radio-frequency congestion and orbital safety.

The FCC said the newly approved satellites would support internet speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second and enable direct-to-cell connectivity outside the United States, with supplemental mobile coverage inside the United States. The order grants SpaceX access to expanded spectrum and authorizes operation across multiple frequency bands, including new Earth-to-space allocations at 14.5–14.8 GHz, 17.3–17.8 GHz, 51.4–52.4 GHz, 92.0–94.0 GHz, 94.1–95.0 GHz, 95.0–100.0 GHz, 102.0–109.5 GHz and 111.8–114.25 GHz, and a space-to-Earth allocation at 18.6–18.8 GHz. The agency also authorized higher transmit power in certain bands between roughly 10.7 and 30 GHz, subject to completion of an existing FCC rulemaking, while requiring SpaceX to comply with existing lower power limits in the 17.3–17.8 GHz band and to coordinate with incumbent users where applicable.

A notable technical shift in the approval allows many Gen2 satellites to operate in lower orbital shells, in some cases about 200 kilometers closer to Earth than current satellites, a move the FCC and SpaceX say will reduce latency. The order specifies deployment sizes and plane counts in discrete shells, including allowances such as up to 144 satellites in up to 72 planes in each of the 340 km, 345 km, 350 km, 355 km and 365 km shells, and up to 120 satellites in up to 56 planes in the 480 km and 485 km shells, while noting Gen2 spacecraft may also operate in higher shells near 500 km.

The agency attached clear timelines and conditions to the authorization. SpaceX must deploy 50 percent of the newly authorized Gen2 satellites by Dec. 1, 2028, and complete the remaining launches by Dec. 2031. The FCC also required completion of SpaceX’s first-generation Starlink constellation by late November 2027. The commission said the partial grant was in the public interest but deferred approval of the remainder of the company’s Gen2 request until the system is tested in orbit and remaining concerns about radio-frequency congestion and orbital debris are resolved, citing interagency collaboration with the Commerce Department and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

FCC Chair Brendan Carr described the decision as pivotal for next-generation services, saying, "This FCC authorization is a game-changer for enabling next-generation services," and adding that the agency had given SpaceX "the green light to deliver unprecedented satellite broadband capabilities." The application drew opposition from industry competitors, including a petition to deny filed by Viasat.

The order arrives as SpaceX seeks to expand its market reach, with cumulative FCC clearances allowing the company to operate roughly 19,400 satellites when combined with earlier approvals for first-generation Starlink. The authorization could influence broadband funding competitions and commercial plans, and it intensifies scrutiny of orbital traffic and spectrum management as low-Earth orbit becomes more densely populated.