SpaceX Starts Beaming Data From Second-Gen Starlink Constellation

SpaceX is indicating it’s starting to use the second-generation Starlink constellation to beam internet data. 

On Tuesday, the company notified(Opens in a new window) the FCC about the development. “SpaceX has initiated communications between spacecraft in its Gen2 non-geostationary orbit satellite system and licensed earth stations with directional antennas located within the United States,” it wrote. 

SpaceX didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, making it unclear if Starlink is already tapping the satellites to deliver internet to customers. Nevertheless, the development is good news for users of the satellite internet system, which can beam high-speed broadband to almost any location on the planet. 

Starlink has become so popular, especially in the US, that capacity has become stretched, which can result in slower speeds and spotty internet quality for affected users. So to improve capacity, SpaceX has been working to launch hundreds of additional satellites into Earth’s orbit. This has included launching new satellites for the first-generation Starlink constellation, and for the second, which the FCC granted a license for back in December. 

Specifically, SpaceX has said it plans on using more powerful “V2” satellites to fill out the second-generation constellation and supply even faster speeds and capacity.  Unfortunately, the company’s FCC filing is concise, and offers no details on other progress for the second-generation constellation. But the document notes “The first Gen2 space station was placed in its authorized orbit and began operating on February 10, 2023.”

This is significant because not all the satellites in the second-generation constellation necessarily feature the latest hardware. Instead, a majority of the satellites in the second-gen constellation are actually made up of V1.5 equipment, according to the astronomer Jonathan McDowell, who’s been tracking(Opens in a new window) Starlink satellites. 

In an email to PCMag, McDowell added: “The Feb 10 date is consistent with the first sats from the 2022 Dec 28 launch of Group 5-1 reaching their operational altitudes. These are (possibly somewhat modified, but not extensively so) V1.5 sats.”

Currently, the second-gen constellation is made up of 492 V1.5 satellites. Meanwhile, only 79 of the remaining satellites feature “V2” mini technology. The reason is likely because SpaceX has been hoping to use its new Starship craft to carry the heavier V2 satellites into orbit. But with Starship still in the launch testing phases, the company has been forced to use smaller Falcon 9 rockets to build the second-generation Starlink network.