October 15, 2019 – Private aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company SpaceX has applied for permission from the International Telecommunication Union (“ITU”) to access spectrum for 30,000 satellites for its Starlink network. The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) filed the applications on behalf of the company. SpaceX filed 20 applications in total, each for 1,500 satellites structured in various orbits between 204 and 360 miles in altitude. As reported by Space News, SpaceX’s ITU filings contain details about frequency usage, proposed orbital altitudes, and the number of satellites it wants to use. The filings do not say when SpaceX hopes to launch the satellites, or other details such as spacecraft throughput and deorbit timelines. When SpaceX applies with the FCC for access to the U.S. market to offer Internet access services, it will be required to disclose further details about its satellite constellation.

Generally, after a company makes a filing with the ITU requesting spectrum, the company has seven years to launch a satellite with the requested frequencies and must operate it for at least 90 days. If a company fails to accomplish these steps, it loses the right to use the spectrum. During the next World Radiocommunication Conference, which takes place from October 28 to November 22, the ITU is expected to set more stringent rules for “megaconstellation” ventures, requiring companies to launch percentages of their total constellation by to-be-determined deadlines in order to keep priority spectrum rights.

SpaceX announced its plans for the Starlink network in 2015. SpaceX will manufacture, launch, and operate the global network of low Earth orbit communications satellites, with the goal of providing Internet access services in the U.S. and worldwide. SpaceX has already received approval from the ITU and the FCC for 12,000 satellites. It launched 60 Starlink satellites into orbit in May 2019 and intends to launch another 60 in late October 2019, with hundreds more set for 2020. The company expects its Starlink network to ultimately include around 12,000 satellites, which would be the world’s largest low-Earth-orbit satellite constellation. The Starlink satellites will utilize Ku-Band, Ka-Band, and V-Band spectrum.