SpaceX files FCC plan for 1M orbital data satellites
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- SpaceX filed an FCC application to deploy up to one million additional satellites that would serve as orbital data centers for its AI workloads.
- SpaceX launched 25 Starlink satellites on a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, pushing the number of active Starlink satellites above 10,000, according to Harvard astronomer Jonathan McDowell.
- John Barentine and a consortium of astronomers filed a formal challenge to the FCC filing, warning that the high‑inclination orbits will keep the satellites fully illuminated at midnight and degrade ground‑based observations.
- Barentine warned that frequent satellite deorbits could release aluminum oxides, lithium and other pollutants, potentially altering atmospheric chemistry and slowing ozone‑layer healing.
- FCC fast‑tracked the environmental‑impact review, opening a public comment period that closed on March 6, after receiving roughly 1,000 comments, most of which urged the agency not to approve the plan.
- Amazon submitted a petition urging the FCC to reject SpaceX’s orbital‑data‑center satellite proposal.
- SpaceX’s filing only contains a vague pledge to “minimize any atmospheric impacts” from large‑scale deorbits, without detailed mitigation measures.
Why it matters: Astronomers lose clear night skies as the proposed high‑inclination data‑center constellation would be fully illuminated at midnight, while SpaceX gains a massive orbital computing platform; the FCC’s expedited review and Amazon’s opposition highlight regulatory and commercial friction over space‑environment impacts.
