The U.S. Federal Communications Commission, approved SpaceX’s request to move forward with its space-based broadband proposal , on the condition that the aerospace company launch half of the satellites within six years. About 800 satellites will need to be deployed for the broadband service to be operational from 2019. The company calls the proposed service “Starlink” and plans to offer wireless broadband speeds comparable to fiber-optic service. The company, in the midst of launching 10 satellites on Friday, didn’t have an immediate comment on the FCC approval.
SpaceX will eventually launch 4,425 satellites into orbit with the goal of delivering broadband service to all corners of the Earth. Once deployed, the low-Earth orbit satellites will cover the entire United States, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and eventually, provide “full-time coverage to virtually the entire planet,” the FCC said in its approval order.
The FCC approved a broadband proposal, involving 720 satellites, from OneWeb in June. In recent days, the company asked for approval to launch another 1,260 satellites. The agency also approved smaller satellite proposals from Space Norway and Telesat in November.
