The Federal Communications Commission has approved the launch of new satellites by four companies looking to provide broadband services in the US and worldwide. The companies are Space Exploration Holdings (SpaceX), Kepler Communications, Telesat Canada and LeoSat.
All four companies are looking to develop non-geostationary orbit satellites, also known as low Earth orbit (LEO) or nano satellites. The systems are expected to enable fixed satellite broadband service in the US, as well as support increased global connectivity for broadband and IoT services.
The Commission granted SpaceX’s application with certain conditions, authorizing SpaceX to construct, deploy, and operate a new very-low-Earth orbit constellation of more than 7,000 satellites using V-band frequencies. The Commission also granted SpaceX’s request to add the 37.5-42.0 GHz and 47.2-50.2 GHz frequency bands to its previously authorized constellation. The Commission’s action provides SpaceX with additional flexibility to provide both diverse geographic coverage and the capacity to support a wide range of broadband and communications services for residential, commercial, institutional, governmental, and professional users in the US and globally.
Kepler’s request for US market access also comes with certain conditions. The Commission’s action will allow Kepler to offer global IoT connectivity, targeting especially sensors and other intelligent devices as well as other fixed satellite services using its proposed constellation in the 10.7-12.7 GHz and 14.0-14.5 GHz frequency bands. Kepler’s proposed system, consisting of 140 satellites, is licensed by Canada.
Telesat plans a fleet of 117 satellites and is also licensed by Canada. The FCC approval gives it US market access with certain conditions in the 37.5-42.0 GHz and 47.2- 50.2 GHz frequency bands. The Commission’s action enables Telesat to offer high-speed, low-latency communication services, which the regulator expects will enhance competition among existing and future fixed satellite systems.
LeoSat’s approval for US market access covers the 17.8-18.6 GHz, 18.8-19.4 GHz, 19.6-20.2 GHz, 27.5-29.1 GHz and 29.5-30.0 GHz frequency bands. The company backed by Hispasat and Jsat plans to offer high-speed connectivity for enterprises and underserved communities with a fleet of 78 satellites. It will operate under licence from France and a planned authorization from the Netherlands.
With the latest approvals, the US regulator has granted 13 market access requests and satellite applications to nine companies for NGSO FSS constellations in the past 18 months. The Commission said it continues to process additional requests.
New market, new rules
The approvals were part of a number of decisions taken by the FCC on the satellite market at its latest meeting. It also proposed a regulatory framework for non-geostationary orbit satellites to communicate with earth stations, with rules similar to those for traditional satellites.
In addition, the regulator proposed creating a new unified license for space stations and earth stations operating in a geostationary orbit, fixed-satellite service network. The new license would eliminate redundancies in the separate licensing processes for satellites and earth stations and streamline the applications process, the FCC said.
The growing number of plans for low-Earth-orbit satellites also prompted a review of the FCC's rules on cleaning up orbital debris. The regulator started a consultation on proposals to improve disclosure of debris mitigation plans, satellite disposal reliability and methodology, appropriate deployment altitudes in low-Earth-orbit, and on-orbit lifetime, with a particular focus on large NGSO satellite constellations. Other aspects of the consultation include new rule proposals for geostationary orbit satellite license term extension requests, and consideration of disclosure requirements related to several emerging technologies and new types of commercial operations, including rendezvous and proximity operations.
