The Federal Communication Commission granted their approval for SpaceX to launch their next-generation Starlink Gen 2 satellites.
This decision will allow SpaceX to deploy an initial batch of Starlink satellites but did defer the broader 30,000 constellation decision to a later date.
The FCC did not provide details on when they would make a decision regarding the rest of the constellation.
This is massive news for SpaceX as they face rising concerns over network performance with a surge in customers in Canada and the United States.
As Drive Tesla reported earlier today, for the third quarter in a row, network performance on Starlink dropped according to data from Ookla.
This latest expansion effort will help SpaceX ensure network coverage across its multiple offerings, including residential, business, RV, maritime and aviation.
The FCC put some conditions on the plan, including requiring SpaceX to coordinate with other satellite operators to protect science missions and radioastronomy.
This includes SpaceX working with NASA and the National Science Foundation.
The commission also noted that they imposed the limit on the number of satellites to “address concerns about orbital debris and space safety”.
SpaceX did not provide any launch windows or when they expect the next-generation Starlink satellites to come online.
