SpaceX may bring Starlink satellites into lower Earth orbit

SpaceX is allowed by the US authorities to continue with plans to launch internet satellites into orbit. The most recent plans require about 1,500 satellites to be lowered to Earth orbit to improve coverage.

It involved an adjustment of the plans whereby some of the satellites had to be placed in a lower orbit around the earth than in the original plans. Permission had to be given by the American watchdog FCC, and according to a statement issued by SpaceX, that approval has now been received. There would have been a number of companies objecting to SpaceX’s plans, because the Starlink satellites may have interfered with their own satellites. The FCC did not agree to that.

As a result, it is now possible for SpaceX to lower a total of 1500 satellites into orbit. They should land at an altitude of 550 kilometers above the Earth’s surface, thereby improving the coverage of the Starlink network; with lower-hanging satellites, less is needed in total to form a covering network. In total, the Starlink network is to receive 11,000 satellites, and six gateways on Earth to facilitate communication with the satellites.

SpaceX has indicated that the first launch of the Starlink satellites could take place as early as next month. In total, the space company wants to launch thousands of satellites in order to set up a worldwide network for internet connections.