SpaceX receives the green light to deploy 7,500 more Starlink satellites

The Federal Communications Commission said on Friday it has approved SpaceX’s request to deploy an additional 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites. The authorization allows Elon Musk’s company to operate a total of 15,000 Gen2 satellites worldwide.

The FCC also granted SpaceX permission to upgrade the satellites and operate them across five frequencies. It waived prior requirements that prevented overlapping coverage and enhanced capacity.

The agency said the new satellites will provide direct-to-cell connectivity outside the United States and supplemental U.S. coverage. This will enable next-generation mobile services and internet speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second.

“This FCC authorization is a game-changer for enabling next-generation services,” FCC Chair Brendan Carr said. “By authorizing 15,000 new and advanced satellites, the FCC has given SpaceX the green light to deliver unprecedented satellite broadband capabilities, strengthen competition, and help ensure that no community is left behind.”

SpaceX had sought approval for nearly 30,000 satellites. The FCC said it was for now approving only 15,000.

“We find that authorization for additional satellites is in the public interest, even as the Gen2 Starlink Upgrade satellites remain untested on orbit. We defer authorization of the remaining 14,988 proposed Gen2 Starlink satellites, including satellites proposed for operations above 600 km,” the FCC said.

The FCC set deployment deadlines. SpaceX must launch 50% of the authorized Gen2 satellites, place them in assigned orbits, and operate them by December 1, 2028. It must launch the remaining satellites by December 2031. The company must also complete deployment of its 7,500 first-generation satellites by late November 2027.

Last week, Starlink said it would reconfigure its constellation by lowering satellites from around 550 km (342 miles) to 480 km over the course of 2026 to increase space safety.

In December, Starlink said one of its satellites experienced an anomaly at 418 km in altitude, creating a “small” amount of debris and cutting off communications—a rare kinetic accident for the satellite internet provider.

SpaceX has become the world’s largest satellite operator through Starlink, a network of about 9,400 satellites beaming broadband internet to consumers, governments and enterprise customers.

The predecessor of FCC chief Carr, Jessica Rosenworcel, urged in 2024 more competition to SpaceX’s Starlink, noting at the time that Starlink controlled nearly two-thirds of all active satellites.