As SpaceX faces opposition to its 1 million-satellite proposal for orbiting data centers, the company has told a US regulator it plans on starting small so it can first monitor the potential atmospheric effects before a wider roll out.
On Monday, SpaceX told the Federal Communications Commission it plans on deploying the ambitious constellation in phases. The company submitted the 32-page filing as a rebuttal to the flood of comments the FCC has received about the company’s 1 million-satellite proposal, which the Commission is reviewing for possible approval.
“SpaceX understands commenters’ concerns regarding frequent launches and satellite re-entries potentially impacting Earth’s atmosphere,” the company wrote.
The filing then adds the company plans to coordinate with “relevant federal agencies and stakeholders to study how the Orbital Data Center system interacts with Earth’s atmosphere.”
“Consistent with SpaceX’s commitment to environmental stewardship and data-driven decision making, SpaceX also plans a phased deployment approach for this system to monitor actual atmospheric effects, validate models with real-world data, and implement any necessary adjustments as it scales.”
(Maciej Frolow via Getty)
The filing doesn’t mention the exact number of satellites that’ll be launched during the early phase. SpaceX merely wrote: “Initial operations under this license will be limited to a significantly smaller number of satellites and re-entries than the maximum authorized, providing time to monitor actual effects, validate models with real-world data, and implement any necessary adjustments before scaling.”
The proposed constellation is so large it’ll likely require thousands of rocket flights, assuming all the satellites are launched from Earth. In addition, the same satellites are only designed to operate for several years before they’re retired. To dispose of them, SpaceX has proposed de-orbiting at least some of the satellites and letting them burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere. Others will be retired by sending them on a path to orbit the Sun.
SpaceX already retires aging Starlink satellites by using fiery atmospheric re-entries to disintegrate the hardware. However, scientists have been questioning if burned-up satellites could release ozone depleting chemicals into the atmosphere, especially since SpaceX has already been retiring hundreds of Starlink satellites, a number that’s only expected to grow over time. An estimated 1,500 Starlink satellites have already been de-orbited, according to the astronomer Jonathan McDowell.
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It’s a topic that scientists say demands more study, and some have urged governments to investigate. Interestingly, SpaceX’s letter to the FCC notes that the company itself has been “exploring novel experiments and assessment methods to better characterize the effects of re-entering satellites on Earth’s atmosphere,” although no further details were provided.
But in the same filing, SpaceX urged the Commission to continue rejecting calls for satellite constellations to undergo a “lengthy” environmental review under the National Environmental Protection Act. The company cites two studies from the European Space Agency that found the “atmospheric impact of spacecraft reentries is relatively low.” That said, both studies were first initiated back in 2019 and noted there are “still high-level uncertainties” in their modeling of the atmospheric impacts.
SpaceX sent the rebuttal when the company’s orbital data center proposal has received over 1,400 comments in the FCC’s online filing system —a staggering amount compared to a typical satellite application. In addition, much of the feedback seems to urge the FCC to deny the plan over other impacts, including interference to astronomy and light pollution concerns.
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In its own filing, SpaceX said it “appreciated” the comments from the astronomy community, amateur observers and environmental advocates. But the company says it’s already working on various measures to tackle their concerns. This includes making the satellites too faint for human eyes or telescopes to see — a goal SpaceX has been trying to achieve with Starlink as well. In addition, the filing argues “orbital data centers represent the most environmentally responsible choice to meet surging AI demand” since they’ll harness the “near-constant solar power in space rather than tapping terrestrial power grids.”
However, the Elon Musk company didn’t hold back its criticism of rival satellite internet companies, including Amazon, which has urged the FCC to reject the 1 million satellite proposal. SpaceX accused Amazon of “fearmongering” and even failing to properly read its proposal for the orbiting data centers.
“For example, baseless claims about harmful interference from Amazon, Viasat, and WISPA (Association for Broadband Without Boundaries) reflect a fundamental failure of reading comprehension,” SpaceX said in urging the FCC to reject the “anticompetitive arguments.”
The filing also pushes back on Amazon’s assertions that the 1 million-satellite constellation risks “monopolizing” orbits around Earth. “If Amazon had employed even basic math, it would realize that SpaceX’s proposed system would inhabit only 0.005% of the 1.1 trillion cubic kilometers of space across the 500–2,000 km orbits,” SpaceX shot back.
How the FCC will rule on the proposal remains unclear. But the Commission’s chairman, Brendan Carr, scolded Amazon last week, saying the company should focus on its own satellite efforts, rather than criticize SpaceX.
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I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. Earlier this year, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how President Trump’s tariffs will affect the industry. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.
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