SpaceX Seeks FCC Permission To Upgrade Old Starlink Satellites With Opposition From DISH

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As it waits for the Starship rocket to become operational to start launching Starlink Gen2 satellites regularly, SpaceX is requesting the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to grant its application to upgrade the firm's oldest satellite batches. SpaceX has launched thousands of satellites throughout the past couple of years, and in the process, it has created the world's largest small satellite constellation. During this period, the FCC has also granted the firm's application to launch nearly twice as many second-generation Starlink satellites, and SpaceX's latest application seeks the Commission's permission to introduce upgrades part of the second generation to the first-generation spacecraft after their useful life is over.

SpaceX filed its application for the Starlink Gen1 upgrade in February 2023, before it had conducted the first STarship test flight. Starship is crucial to the Starlink satellite constellation, as it will significantly upgrade SpaceX's ability to launch its larger and more powerful second-generation satellites. These satellites are crucial for SpaceX to gain market share before its rivals start launching their satellite networks, and the firm launched the latest batch of customized second-generation spacecraft with its Falcon 9 rocket from California earlier today.

However, weather constraints forced SpaceX to stand down from an earlier Falcon 9 launch from the East Coast as operators scrubbed the mission less than thirty seconds before liftoff as the Falcon 9 was in startup mode. SpaceX's medium-lift rocket autonomously starts checking its systems and