The FCC has approved a SpaceX plan to test Starlink satellite internet on the Starship rocket.
The FCC issued authorization for SpaceX to conduct the experiment over the next 60 days. The approval arrives as the company is preparing a test flight for the Starship SN15 at the SpaceX launch facility in Boca Chica Village, Texas.
On April 9, the company filed an application to conduct the experiment within 5 kilometers of the site. However, the company isn’t seeking to use Starlink in space, at least not yet. Instead, it wants to test the satellite internet technology at altitudes not to exceed 12.5km, or 41,000 feet.
At the same time, the experiment involves a single Starlink satellite dish. “These operations will only occur on the ground or during test flights of durations not to exceed eight minutes,” the company wrote in the application.
SpaceX submitted the application as observers began noticing a mysterious white dish had been placed on the Starship SN15 vehicle. The company’s plans for Starlink on the rocket remain unknown. But it does raise the tantalizing prospect of space tourists one day watching Netflix on a trip to the Moon.
The company’s Starlink system is currently operating over 1,300 satellites in orbit, which are capable of delivering 80Mbps to 150Mbps download speeds to almost anywhere on the planet. The $99-per-month service is already serving over 10,000 users, many of whom previously lacked access to reliable and fast internet.
SpaceX also plans on bringing Starlink to cars, boats, and airplanes, ensuring passengers on board can receive high-speed internet anywhere. However, the company is still waiting for approval from the FCC, which regulates broadband spectrum in the country.
