SpaceX's Starlink Constellation Could Swell by 30,000 More Satellites

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The constellation could conceivably consist of 42,000 spacecraft.

A view of SpaceX's first 60 Starlink satellites in orbit, still in stacked configuration, with the Earth as a brilliant blue backdrop on May 23, 2019.
A view of SpaceX's first 60 Starlink satellites in orbit, still in stacked configuration, with the Earth as a brilliant blue backdrop on May 23, 2019. (Image credit: SpaceX)

SpaceX's Starlink internet-satellite constellation may end up being even bigger than we thought — a lot bigger.

The company already has permission from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch up to 12,000 Starlink craft to low Earth orbit. And SpaceX recently filed paperwork with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for up to 30,000 additional Starlink satellites, SpaceNews reported yesterday (Oct. 15). 

It's unclear how many Starlink satellites SpaceX will actually build and launch, however. Submitting to the ITU — a United Nations agency that, among other things, manages the global satellite radio-frequency spectrum — is a preliminary step, as SpaceNews noted. ITU approval would have to be followed by a thumbs-up from the FCC, which regulates interstate communications in the U.S.

Video: Watch SpaceX Deploy 60 Starlink Satellites at Once
More: SpaceX's 1st Starlink Megaconstellation Launch in Photos!

And there's no guarantee SpaceX will end up launching the already-approved 12,000 satellites. Elon Musk, the company's founder and CEO, said earlier this year that economic viability could come with a constellation of about 1,000 satellites.

But still, launching even a fraction of the potential 42,000 Starlink craft would fundamentally change the orbital population. Just 2,000 operational satellites currently circle our planet, and fewer than 9,000 objects have launched since the dawn of the Space Age, in 1957, according to the U.N. Office for Outer Space Affairs.

The Starlink constellation is already being assembled. In May, SpaceX launched the first 60 satellites in the network, and the company plans to loft the next few batches of 60 soon, likely before the end of the year.

And SpaceX isn't the only company with megaconstellation ambitions. For example, both Amazon and OneWeb plan to establish big (but not Starlink-big) networks of broadband satellites in low Earth orbit as well.

Mike Wall's book about the search for alien life, "Out There" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), is out now. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook. 

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Mike Wall
Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.