SpaceX has filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch 15,000 additional satellites. They will use the radio spectrum acquired by EchoStar in a deal worth $ 17 billion. The main goal of this project is to provide “ubiquitous connectivity for regular phones and a number of other devices“.
The new satellite system will consist of satellites that will move in low and very low Earth orbits, at an altitude of 326 to 335 kilometers. This will reduce latency when connecting to phones. For U.S. operations, the spacecraft will use EchoStar spectrum and partner T-Mobile’s spectrum, while for international markets, a wide range of spectrum will be used.
SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell announced that the company is working with developers to integrate the necessary chipsets into smartphones to support Starlink satellite services in more models. According to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, it will take at least two years for smartphone chips to support EchoStar’s radio frequencies.
With the acquisition of EchoStar’s AWS-4 ground license, SpaceX can deploy ground systems in the United States. This will create a hybrid satellite-terrestrial network that will expand coverage and service capacity.
The application for a 15,000-satellite system comes a year after the company sought approval to operate up to 29,988 Starlink satellites to provide gigabit speeds for home broadband.