SpaceX just got a massive FCC green light for Starlink Mobile
The FCC has approved SpaceX to launch and operate up to 15,000 next-generation satellites built for direct-to-phone connectivity
The new system is designed to:
• Target peak speeds of up to 150 Mbps per user • Connect ordinary cell phones directly from space • Operate in very low orbit at roughly 326–335 km • Use T-Mobile spectrum alongside spectrum SpaceX is acquiring from EchoStar • Deliver orders of magnitude more capacity than the first-generation Starlink Mobile constellation
SpaceX currently has roughly 650 dedicated mobile satellites in orbit
The FCC also granted a waiver giving SpaceX a path to provide satellite wireless service without requiring a spectrum-leasing agreement with a terrestrial mobile operator
Starlink Mobile is moving far beyond basic dead-zone connectivity
SpaceX is building toward a full 5G cellular network in space
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Whatever is most likely to give you the best outcome
Starlink is lowering its remaining satellites above 500 km into lower shells by the end of 2026
Why it matters:
A failed satellite at ~550 km can linger for 4+ years during solar minimum. At ~480 km, ballistic decay time drops by more than 80% to just a few months
Retired Starlinks are normally deorbited using propulsion. If that fails, atmospheric drag becomes the backup
Lower altitude makes that backup much faster
With 11,000+ Starlinks in orbit, even a small safety gain scales massively
Michael Nicolls just just laid out SpaceX's ambition for connectivity that extends beyond Earth
“We will connect the Moon with a constellation, and then we will connect Mars”
"Our goal, again, is to extend consciousness beyond this planet, and we want to go and connect the Moon and Mars
But before that on Starlink, we're creating the technologies to connect the Moon with very high-bandwidth connectivity systems, very high-bandwidth lasers
And we will connect the Moon with a constellation, and then we will connect Mars, and we will form an interplanetary mesh of connectivity that is fundamentally driven by the same technologies we're working on with Starlink
To make this happen, SpaceX needs to keep improving safety in LEO so everyone can operate and scale safely”
Build safe, coordinated infrastructure in LEO first then extend connectivity and human presence to the Moon, Mars, and beyond