The Federal Communications Commission gave SpaceX a go signal to modify its Starlink constellation license. The recent approval would allow Elon Musk's company to push Falcon 9 to its limits on its next launch.
With the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral on Wednesday night, SpaceX hopes to restart launching satellites for its Starlink internet network and add more than 2,800 additional satellites into lower orbits. Elon Musk said SpaceX would use the backlog of Starlink flights to continue expanding the envelope and discover the Falcon booster's reuse life cap.
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA - MAY 30: In this NASA handout image, A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is seen prior to launch on NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley onboard, Saturday, May 30, 2020, at Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
"There doesn't seem to be any obvious limit to the reusability of the vehicle," Musk told Spaceflight Now in a press conference Friday after the launch of SpaceX's third crewed flight to the International Space Station.
FCC Approves SpaceX Starlink License to Modify
A new FCC document concluded that SpaceX's third license alteration of its Starlink satellites would serve the "public interest." Hence, the commission authorized the company to make the required modifications. The use of SpaceX Starlink is a protective feature for the company's satellite constellation and a way to improve connectivity to far-flung regions.
The company's modification is to lower the height of more than 2,800 satellites to 550 km, down from 1,100 km, which is higher in the atmosphere and further down. The motion for a license modification and satellite positioning has been in the works for more than a year, and the company's long wait is almost over.
More than 1,400 Starlink satellites would be unable to operate and stay stationary in orbit if the license was denied since they cannot entirely function without affecting the company's operation. Amazon and Viasat were initially opposed to SpaceX Starlink's license modification and are working on getting it thrown out by regulators.
Elon Musk Commends FCC For Being Fair, Sensible
Meanwhile, Elon Musk told a journalist who revealed SpaceX's license in a tweet that the FCC and stakeholders made a just and rational decision. He also dealt with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
FCC is fair & sensible. NHTSA & FAA too. 99.9% of the time, I agree with regulators!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 27, 2021
On rare occasions, we disagree. This is almost always due to new technologies that past regulations didn’t anticipate.
Musk emphasized that the FCC makes decisions that are "fair and reasonable 99.9% of the time." The statement is powerful enough for these regulators, and they only make unfair decisions on special occasions. Elon Musk has a history of having run-ins with these regulators about the display of their technology.
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SpaceX to Launch Starlink Sattelites Via Falcon 9
Following a short hiatus in Starlink launches to concentrate on the Crew Dragon mission, SpaceX is set to launch another 60 internet satellites into orbit from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's pad 40 on Wednesday night. Since last June, the booster on Wednesday's mission - tail number B1060 - has flown six times.
Wednesday's instantaneous launch moment is scheduled for 11:44 p.m. EDT. A Falcon 9 launch with the next shipment of Starlink satellites could happen as soon as next week from Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A.
SpaceX will have launched 1,505 Starlink satellites into orbit with Wednesday's launch, including experiments and crashed spacecraft that have fallen out of orbit and burnt up in the atmosphere. According to Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer and specialist tracker of spaceflight operation, there are actually 1,374 Starlink satellites in orbit, with the next 60 scheduled to launch on Wednesday.
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