The next generation of Starlink broadband satellites, according to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, will be so big that their launch can only be handled by the company’s Starship rocket. Musk recently highlighted the scale of the incoming fleet in a quote-tweeted piece regarding SpaceX’s updates to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). “The next generation Starlink satellites, which are so big that only Starship can launch them, will allow for a 10X increase in bandwidth and, with the reduced altitude, faster latency,” Musk wrote on Twitter.
SpaceX has relied on its Falcon 9 rocket for the historic launches to deploy Starlink satellites, but a new trend may just be in the offing with Starship—SpaceX’s next-generation rocket. They are trying to take that a step further in enhancing the capability of the satellites. Ars Technica stated that SpaceX had filed requests with the FCC to move Starlink satellites into lower orbital shells, under 300 miles above Earth, and to operate at 1,100 kilometers. The satellites were to be launched from their Boca Chica, Texas site pending approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.
The filing did not reveal the exact number of new satellites, but comments by Musk point to an emphasis on boosting availability and slashing latency through technological upgrades. Starlink’s Vice President of Engineering, Michael Nicolls, also shared Musk’s enthusiasm on the new satellite front when he tweeted, “The next generation [Starlink] satellite will launch on Starship and deliver gigabit connectivity anywhere in the world.”
There are worries in spite of these objectives. Despite being four times larger than its predecessors, SpaceX’s previous satellite update, dubbed the V2 Mini, did not live up to expectations in terms of signal strength. This begs the question of whether the next generation of satellites will really bring about the increased connection that has been promised.
The expanding Starlink satellite network, according to detractors, is also causing orbital congestion and obscuring astronomers’ views of the night sky. While Musk focuses on communication upgrades, the argument over space debris and light pollution remains unresolved.