Starlink · SpaceX · FCC · U.S. · Datacenter Dynamics
SpaceX files FCC application for 100,000 Gen3 Starlink satellites
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SpaceX has filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for authorization on up to 100,000 new third-generation Starlink satellites.
Key facts
- BNP Paribas estimates that a complete Gen3 constellation could serve 200 million subscribers globally, with around 15-20 million of those in the US
- Despite being so heavy, these satellites are to be deployed in low-Earth orbit (VLEO), at altitudes managed between 323-327.5 kilometers and 473-477.5 kilometers
- The company aims to launch the first machines in the 1Tbps constellation in the second half of 2026, six months after requesting 7,500 more Gen2s
- SpaceX has filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for authorization on up to 100,000 new third-generation Starlink satellites
Summary
The company aims to launch the first machines in the 1Tbps constellation in the second half of 2026, six months after requesting 7,500 more Gen2s. BNP Paribas estimates that a complete Gen3 constellation could serve 200 million subscribers globally, with around 15-20 million of those in the US. "AI requires massive uplink capacity to support high-definition spatial and auditory data necessary for real-time decision-making and industrial automation,” read the document by Madeleine Chang, SpaceX’s satellite policy manager. Starlink’s proposed design for the Gen3 satellite lists a dry mass between 2,000-2,500 kilograms, a weight that appears to assume the 100-ton payload capacity of Starship is imminently available, given a typical Falcon 9 could only carry two such satellites to a low Earth orbit (LEO) per launch.