Earlier this year, Starlink asked the FCC to allow it to launch satellite’s into very low earth orbit (VLEO), between 340-360km above the surface of the earth. Starlink satellites currently sit approximately 550km above the surface, in low earth orbit (LEO).
The benefits, it says, include faster and more reliable connectivity, lower latency and a safer operating environment in space.
Being closer to the earth means data doesn’t have to travel as far, boosting speeds, and the nature of very low earth orbit means that in the case of a failure or collision, debris is more likely to re-enter the earth’s atmosphere and burn up than continue in orbit as potentially deadly space junk.
The FCC, however, declined Starlink’s request.
“The rationale for the denial, included impact on emergency evacuation from the international space station, (something that has never happened) and potential impact on other launches,” Paul Kostek, senior member of the Institute of Electric and Electronics Engineers and advisory systems engineer at Base2 solutions tells Capacity.
Essentially, the FCC is concerned that adding another layer of satellites may make it difficult for future constellations to be launched, and complicate re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere for manned spacecraft.
“Starlink has argued that the concerns raised by the FCC will not be issues,” Kostek explains.
“However, the issue will be when other companies or countries want to place constellations at VLEO too. The FCC can control what USA companies do but have no control over other nations.”
This may come sooner rather than later. Chinese space and defence contractor CASIC outlined plans to launch the first commercial VLEO constellation in late 2023.
“Can VLEO operations be safely populated, I expect the answer is yes,” he says.
“Is now the time to do this? I’m not sure. We are in the midst of a commercial space boom, and we may want to consider how space is currently utilised or managed before moving forward adding to the operational areas. This isn’t about one company but all the potential users of space.”
