Space News by Jason Rainbow — June 14, 2022
SpaceX and OneWeb said June 13 they have reached a spectrum coordination plan that would enable their current and second-generation broadband megaconstellations to coexist.
In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, the companies asked the regulator to disregard any spectrum coordination issues they had previously filed against each other.
“Given this positive development, the Parties encourage the Commission to quickly approve each second-round system so that they may begin deploying these cutting-edge systems and offering even more advanced services as soon as possible, they said.
SpaceX has permission to deploy 4,408 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) for its Starlink network, and is seeking approval to add nearly 30,000 more to improve its broadband services.
OneWeb has permission for 648 satellites in LEO and wants to grow its constellation to roughly 7,000 satellites.
There are currently 2,404 Starlink and 427 OneWeb satellites in orbit, according to statistics maintained by spaceflight analyst and astronomer Jonathan McDowell.
Starship, the heavy-lift launch vehicle SpaceX is developing in Texas, is critical to the company’s plan to upgrade its Starlink constellation.
Gen 2 Starlink satellites will be nearly seven meters long and five times bigger than its first generation, according to SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk.
More:
https://spacenews.com/starlink-and-oneweb-reach-spectrum-coordination-plan/
