Reddit by u/softwaresaur 1/8/2021
SpaceX wants to launch these 10 satellites as part of the upcoming Transporter-1 rideshare mission tentatively scheduled on Jan 14th. This is a very small batch, only 1/6th of one plane. Six full planes are needed for polar and Arctic (Alaska, etc.) coverage. In November SpaceX asked for permission to populate all six planes but it appears the FCC isn't ready to grant such an approval.
The FCC:
Viasat argues that an upcoming launch opportunity is not a valid reason for the Commission to grant the application “prematurely;†however, we conclude that the deployment of ten satellites that are part of the most immediate upcoming launch, as conditioned herein, does not present concerns in connection with the issues raised by commenters. We decline to delay deployment of this small subset of satellites, which have the potential to contribute to the ongoing development of service at higher latitudes.
from r/Starlink
https://www.reddit.com/r/Starlink/comments/ktbzne/the_fcc_approves_launch_of_10_ten_starlink/
