SpaceX It has already been cleared to deploy Starlink’s second-generation satellites, but it’s not forgetting its older equipment. In the last few hours, Elon Musk’s aerospace company sent a document to the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reporting its plan to upgrade your first generation satellite constellation with more powerful hardware.
As explained by the firm, the improvements will make it possible to provide a satellite internet service with optimized speeds and low latency. And while the changes would be aimed mostly at the US public, they would impact all the countries where Starlink is already available.
In its request for authorization to make the corresponding modifications, SpaceX indicates that it plans to “take advantage of technical innovations” created during the development of Starlink’s second-generation satellites, to apply them to their predecessors. But he clarified that, beyond the hardware changes that are imposed, the equipment in question will continue to operate in the same orbits, altitudes and inclinations specified in your original license.
The document that has been released does not provide further details about what changes would apply to Starlink’s Gen1 satellites. However, SpaceX does mention that the upgraded components will incorporate “more advanced beamforming technologies.” [beamforming] and digital processing.
“The use of these narrow beams will allow a greater degree of frequency reuse and maintain SpaceX’s agility by not coordinating spectrum use with other licensed satellite and terrestrial operators,” argued Elon Musk’s company.
SpaceX wants to improve first-generation Starlink satellites
The FCC will now have to rule on SpaceX’s request to upgrade its first-generation Starlink satellites. Although the aerospace company is confident that there will be no regulatory impediments, for two reasons. First, that the changes do not represent a request for greater bandwidth to offer your satellite internet service. The second, that the firm considers that the modifications are of public interest, since they will bring Internet access to more remote places and lacking connectivity, even in polar regions.
In applying the improvements to Starlink’s Gen1 satellites, SpaceX does not intend to remove them from low-Earth orbit at a faster rate than planned. This means that satellites with updated hardware will only be deployed to replace the older ones that have already completed their operational period.
Although Starlink 2.0 promises to provide better connectivity and be more efficient than its predecessors, it makes sense for SpaceX to try to optimize its Gen1 satellites. Let’s remember that satellite internet service has been highly criticized in the US and Canada. due to the sharp drops in their average download speeds. This has been due to the strong expansion of its customer base, which has put its infrastructure to the test.
Added to this situation is the fact that Starlink satellites have become crucial beyond their purely commercial use. The deployment of the service in Ukraine has been one of the most notorious events since the start of the war with Russia. Although he has not been the only one. Elon Musk has also brought the platform to Iran during civil protestssuch as Tonga after the eruption of the volcano.
Currently, Starlink has a constellation made up of more than 3,800 first generation satellites. SpaceX plans to deploy more than 30,000 second-generation devices in low-Earth orbit, although only about 7,500 have been authorized to launch and operate so far.