SpaceX, Dish Network and Globalstar are at odds over whether SpaceX's pending supplemental coverage from space application is acceptable for filing. In an FCC Space Bureau filing Tuesday, SpaceX again urged that the application be put on public notice (see 2311170060) and said Dish and Globalstar arguments that the commission's 60-day processing deadline doesn't apply to SpaceX's application are incorrect. September's satellite streamlining order clearly set timelines for all pending and future applications, it said. SpaceX said it can't assess interference with Dish's 2 GHz mobile satellite service because Dish has no such service for SpaceX to assess for possible interference. It said Globalstar is not entitled to exclusive use of the 1.6/2.4 GHz band. Globalstar said last month that SpaceX hasn't shown it can operate its second-generation constellation in the band without interfering with Globalstar operations. Dish said that along with SpaceX not showing it won't interfere with other 2 GHz operations, nothing in the satellite streamlining order mandates that SpaceX's application be put on public notice. While the order recommended timelines for accepting applications for filing, it didn't mandate them, Dish said.

Early supplemental coverage from space applicants should receive "careful consideration" by the FCC, as SCS is nascent technology with unknown and potentially unintended consequences, Lynk representatives told Commissioner Geoffrey Starks' office, according to a docket 23-65 filing Tuesday. With various entrants potentially using different spectrum and technology, it's critical to understand the impact of these entrants on existing license holders and the SCS ecosystem, it said. The company said it has concerns about grants of authority that go beyond the scope of the limited testing that was applied to it and AST SpaceMobile.

SpaceX's Starlink satellite broadband appears to be successfully balancing capacity and demand, with median download performance in Q3 of 64.54 Mbps, a marginal decline quarter on quarter, Ookla said Monday. Starlink's U.S. performance continues to eclipse geostationary orbit satellite internet providers, it said. Starlink's performance also shows significant urban low earth orbit broadband demand, with close to 60% of Speedtest samples of Starlink performance recorded in urban locations in the U.S., it said. While Starlink's "Roam" services, which let users take Starlink with them, may skew the number of urban samples, "it’s clear that LEO satellite internet is seen as a viable option in many urban U.S. locations," Ookla said.

Skylo Technologies, which is partnering with Viasat on direct-to-device satellite service (see 2311160006) and German telco O2 Telefonica for provision of hybrid satellite/terrestrial IoT coverage (see 2309270017), signed a supplemental coverage from space agreement with Deutsche Telekom, the satellite operator said Wednesday. Skylo said Deutsche Telekom's early adopter program will give access to a limited number of users, with the companies through mid 2024 studying use cases that bundle Skylo satellite service with the telco's terrestrial network.

The Environmental Defense Fund anticipates a March launch of its MethaneSAT earth observation satellite, which will identify and quantify global methane emissions, the nonprofit group said in an FCC Space Bureau application Tuesday. MethaneSAT will focus on the oil, gas and agricultural industries, with philanthropic donations funding the non-geostationary orbit satellite. Its data will be made available for free to the public, EDF said. It's set for launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission.

The FCC Space Bureau approved a SpaceX modification of its second-generation constellation authorization that would allow with strict limits supplemental coverage from space (SCS) over personal communication service G-block spectrum (see 2302080001). Under the authorization, the company can operate in the 1910-1915 MHz and 1990-1995 MHz bands "for limited on-orbit check out of the antennas immediately following deployment of each satellite for a period of 10 days or less." Last week the company told the commission it hopes to launch and operate 840 satellites with direct-to-cellphone device capability over the next six months, with the numbers growing beyond that as it looks to offer commercial SCS service next year.

Spire will build and launch six satellites for satellite IoT provider Lacuna Space, with Lacuna operating the satellites under an agreement between the companies announced Tuesday. Spire said each satellite will carry a Lacuna payload and antenna and allow Lacuna to scale its IoT network. Spire said the agreement starts with six satellites but could expand to dozens.

Expedited satellite and earth station application processing rules the FCC approved in September (see 2309210055) go into effect Jan. 5, according to a notice for Wednesday's Federal Register. The rules include time frames for putting applications on public notice and the FCC Space Bureau's transparency initiative providing greater license application guidance.

Geometric Energy received an FCC experimental license for its DOGE-1 mission, the first space endeavor "to demonstrate Blockchain Technology beyond [low earth orbit]," according to the company's application. The mission will launch a cubesat into lunar orbit using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with electric propulsion getting the payload to lunar orbit. Geometric Energy said the mission will be paid for via Dogecoin cryptocurrency. In addition, it said the DOGE-1 payload will include "Distributed Public Ledger Technology Development & related imaging, authorization and authentication services." Authorization from the Office of Engineering and Technology was granted last week.

SpaceX's "aura of invincibility" in satellite-delivered residential broadband does not extend to the aviation connectivity marketplace, William Blair's Louie DiPalma wrote investors Monday, pointing to American Airlines' announcement that it signed an in-flight Wi-Fi contract with Intelsat. The American Airlines deal follows Intelsat agreements struck with Air Canada and Alaska Airlines earlier this year as well as Delta's pact with EchoStar, he said. SpaceX landed contracts with Qatar and FlexJet but seems to have won fewer than 3% of commercial and business aviation deals that were awarded since it entered the market two years ago, he said.