- SpaceX received the FCC’s green light to launch an additional 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites, doubling the approved Gen2 fleet to 15,000.
- The order introduces lower orbital shells ranging from 340 to 485 km and provides a temporary waiver for specific U.S. EPFD interference restrictions, while limiting overlapping Ku‑band beams to eight.
- By December 1, 2028, SpaceX is required to have at least half of its authorized Gen2 satellites in orbit and functioning, with the remainder due by December 1, 2031.
SpaceX just got the green light from the FCC to launch an additional 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites. This approval paves the way for the company to boost satellite broadband capacity and enhance direct-to-device mobile service.
What really affects users isn’t merely the number of satellites. The agency also approved lower orbital altitudes and adjustments to power and beam regulations, which, simply put, allow Starlink to squeeze more usable bandwidth into the same slice of sky.
Starlink is up and running on a large scale, but it’s starting to face the challenges of congestion. By the end of December 2025, SpaceX had launched over 9,000 Starlink satellites providing fixed broadband, along with more than 650 dedicated to direct-to-device mobile service.
On January 9, the FCC authorized a “second tranche” of 7,500 Gen2 satellites, doubling the approved Gen2 constellation to 15,000. However, the commission held off on approving the remaining 14,988 satellites SpaceX requested, which include those planned to operate above 600 kilometers.
The orbital layout is changing as well. The FCC signed off on new “orbital shells”—essentially altitude- and inclination-specific lanes—ranging roughly from 340 km up to 485 km. This approval lets SpaceX relocate satellites that were once orbiting between 525 and 535 km down into these newly established, lower shells.
Embedded in the paperwork is a launch-logistics detail. SpaceX requested specific orbital inclinations to support Starship launches out of Boca Chica, Texas, along with a backup plan if the FAA denies approval for launches at the higher inclination.
Regarding spectrum, the commission approved a temporary waiver for SpaceX on EPFD limits within the United States. EPFD, or equivalent power flux density, serves as a regulatory measure to prevent large low-Earth-orbit constellations from disrupting geostationary satellite signals.
The waiver includes specific limits. For Ku‑band downlinks, the FCC restricts SpaceX to no more than eight overlapping co‑frequency beams (an “NCo of 8”) and requires a minimum four-degree exclusion zone around the geostationary arc. Beyond U.S. borders, SpaceX must adhere to EPFD rules unless it secures approval from the respective nation.
Tim Farrar, president of TMF Associates, pointed out that the key development lies in the eased restrictions on EPFD and beam overlap within the U.S. 12.2–12.7 GHz band. He noted that these adjustments enable Starlink to reuse frequencies “eight times instead of one time.” Coupled with the satellites operating at lower altitudes—resulting in smaller “cells” on the surface—this could boost peak capacity by “four to five times” in crowded areas such as airport hubs.
Direct-to-device is just one piece of the puzzle—it’s not a worldwide toggle. The FCC order also permits mobile-satellite use of 2 GHz-band spectrum beyond the U.S., allowing up to 7,500 satellites. Farrar pointed out that SpaceX still needs approvals from individual countries before activating services there.
The FCC set deployment deadlines and additional reporting rules linked to the capacity approvals. SpaceX must have half of its authorized Gen2 satellites in orbit and active by December 1, 2028, with the rest operational by December 1, 2031. It also needs to submit semi-annual reports detailing close-approach incidents, collision-avoidance maneuvers, reentries, and satellite failures. If failures accumulate enough “post-failure object years,” further deployment can be paused.
That said, this isn’t an open-ended approval. The FCC has put the rest of SpaceX’s nearly 30,000-satellite Gen2 proposal on hold, pointing out that the upgraded satellites are still “untested on orbit.” The agency is also linking the EPFD waiver to an active FCC rulemaking that might change the existing limits.
A revealing detail in the order shows just how extensive this battle has become: the FCC pointed out that Amazon’s Kuiper backed SpaceX’s bid for specific waivers allowing operations beyond U.S. borders. It’s a clear sign that satellite broadband rivals in the U.S. occasionally team up on regulatory issues despite competing for the same customers.
For SpaceX, the immediate challenge is all about execution—ramping up launch frequency, deploying satellites into the freshly approved constellations, and proving that the new rules translate into real-world improvements where Starlink faces its biggest bottlenecks. For other players in the satellite broadband space, this order sets a clear precedent: it outlines what the FCC is prepared to approve and where it plans to maintain strict control.
