SpaceX Pitches Additional 30,000 Satellites For Starlink

SpaceX is planning to launch 30,000 satellites for the Starlink network. The private space agency had already launched 50 Starlink satellites back in May. The new number comes in addition to the 12,000 satellites it's already gearing up to launch. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's ambitious dream of a satellite constellation for providing high-bandwidth internet access worldwide might soon be a reality.

SpaceX Satellites For Starlink

After the first 50 satellites, SpaceX is gearing up to launch an additional 1,584 satellites by 2024 and 2,200 satellites by 2027. So far, SpaceX aimed to create a satellite constellation of 12,000 satellites at an altitude from 328 km to 580 km. The FCC too had approved the present number. Now, SpaceX has filed a new filing with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), where the space agency has requested to launch an additional 30,000 Starlink satellites to the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) in the coming years.

SpaceX has filed 20 different filings by the FCC to the ITU, says SpaceNews. Each filing requests a spectrum of 1,500 satellites. The new batch of satellites will be launched to the LEO from 328 km to 580 km range. Other technical filings remain the same, including the frequency usage. But, SpaceX has not mentioned when it plans to launch the new satellites.

SpaceX Plans Satellites For Future

SpaceX will require more time to get approval from the ITU. It can be assumed that the new 30,000 satellite launch is SpaceX's future plan. However, once SpaceX gets a green signal from ITU and the FCC, it'll have a seven-year deadline, wherein it needs to launch at least one satellite. After this, the satellite will have a test phase for 90 days.

SpaceX says that the demand for fast and reliable internet is escalating around the world. This is more so where connectivity is too expensive, unreliable or even non-existent. "SpaceX is taking steps to responsibly scale Starlink's total network capacity and data density to meet the growth in users' anticipated needs," SpaceX said in a statement to SpaceNews. Once the entire Starlink is up and running, SpaceX could be solely responsible for the highest number of satellites in the LEO.