SpaceX May Launch First Starlink Gen2 Satellites This Month

SpaceX is moving up the timeline for launching its new Starlink Gen2 satellites. In a new set of FCC filings, the private spaceflight firm says it wants to get the first Gen2 Starlink nodes operational as soon as this month. This could reduce congestion and boost speeds that have been falling all year as more consumers get connected to Starlink.

Starlink first launched as a beta service in late 2020, offering connection speeds of around 100Mbps, which was several times faster than other satellite internet subscriptions. The service has proven popular, and as a result, speeds have been falling throughout 2022. The company’s Starlink Gen2 satellites are supposed to be the solution, and the FCC granted Starlink a license to launch up to 7,500 of them. There’s a problem, though — the Starship rocket is still not ready.

Initially, SpaceX said it would need Starship to launch the Gen2 satellites, which are substantially larger than the first-gen Starlink nodes. The Gen2 satellites are about 23 by 10 feet (7 by 3 meters), whereas the current design is 10 by 5 feet (3 by 1.5 meters). However, in fall 2022, SpaceX hinted in a filing that it could redesign Starlink Gen2 in such a way that it could fit inside the Falcon 9 payload bay while being functionally identical to Starship-launched satellites.

Starlink Gen2 satellites are just the right size for the larger Starship, but they will need some tweaks to ride in a Falcon 9.

SpaceX has a Starlink launch scheduled for Dec. 28. If it’s serious about sending up the first Gen2 satellites this month, it must be planning to use that launch to do it. The company has filed for “special temporary authority” (PDF 1, 2) to conduct the launch this month, which it claims is in the public interest as it will enhance Starlink coverage in underserved areas. This could allow the company to begin desaturating its network immediately as it continues working toward the first orbital Starship test, which CEO Elon Musk previously promised in 2022. Now, it’s looking like Starship won’t reach orbit until next year.

In addition to standard Starlink service, SpaceX is planning to use the Gen2 satellites to deliver connectivity to smartphones via a T-Mobile partnership. This has some astronomers worried. The smaller first-gen Starlink satellites are already causing problems as they zip through important observations, but the larger Gen2 satellites will be even brighter, and an antenna array capable of communicating with smartphones on the ground could increase the size and reflectivity of the new satellites. We’ll find out soon how much of a problem this is. SpaceX hopes to launch new Gen2 satellites every week in 2023.

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