Comments are due Jan. 22 on the FCC's proposed criteria and mechanism for selecting a space launch frequency coordinator for the agency's space launch service, said a notice for Monday's Federal Register. It said it's also seeking comment on licensing and frequency coordination procedures and data requirements. The dockets are 24-687 and 13-115, respectively. The space launch spectrum allocation order that commissioners approved in 2023 (see 2309210055) requires that launch operators seeking to use the 2025–2110 MHz or 2200–2290 MHz band must complete a frequency coordination process with a third-party frequency coordinator. The agency is also proposing allocation of 2360-2395 MHz for launch activities (see 2412190044).

SpaceX told the FCC Friday it has the needed Australian authorizations to commence supplemental coverage from space service there with mobile service partner Telstra, according to a filing in docket 23-135. Previously, SpaceX said it's ready to launch SCS service in New Zealand (see 2412120021). The company's New Zealand mobile partner, One New Zealand, said last week it had commenced commercial service of its One NZ Satellite TXT service, allowing SCS texting as long as there's a clear line of sight to the sky. ONZ said the texting service will take longer to send and receive messages -- three to as much as 10 minutes. "As the service matures and more satellites are launched, we expect delivery times to improve," it added.

SpaceX is planning to conduct more than 180 launches of its Falcon 9 rocket in 2025, CEO Elon Musk posted this week on X. That's an increase from his estimate last month of 150+ launches.

The FCC is considering reallocating the 2360-2395 MHz band on a secondary basis for space launch operations, the agency said Thursday. Letting companies conduct launch activities without requesting special temporary authority for each launch "will provide certainty and predictability for commercial space launches," it said. The draft order circulated Tuesday, and the commission said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel was trying to get a vote on it before the Dec. 25 statutory deadline set in the Launch Communications Act, which was signed into law in September (see 2409270060). The 2360-2395 MHz swath would come atop the 2025-2110 MHz and 2200-2290 MHz allocations for space launch activities the commissioners approved this fall (see 2309210055).

SpaceX is asking for the FCC to authorize spectrum access that could support a variety of U.S. space program missions involving its Starship rocket, including lunar landings. In an FCC Space Bureau filing posted Thursday, SpaceX said the Starship missions will include a long-duration orbital flight test, a propellant transfer flight test in orbit, an uncrewed lunar landing test and refueling operations in orbit, and a pair of lunar landings that include refueling operations in Earth orbit. As part of its application, SpaceX asked for FCC OK to operate in some spectrum bands on a nonconforming basis, such as space-to-space communications in the Ku band between Starship and SpaceX’s Starlink satellite system, and lunar surface communications in the 5.8 GHz band for close-range communications during extravehicular activities.

The new Space Age, driven increasingly by commercial actors rather than superpowers, needs more competition and competitors, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said Tuesday. "Our economy doesn’t benefit from monopolies," Rosenworcel told the audience at the SIA's DOD commercial satcom workshop in Crystal City, Virginia. Since space is "a challenging industry to enter," more effort is needed to ease the path for additional investors, innovators and competitors, she said. After her address, Rosenworcel declined to elaborate on her competition comments, but in the past she has said SpaceX poses a monopolistic threat (see 2409110014). Rosenworcel's address was largely a victory lap as she recapped space-related actions the FCC has undertaken during her administration. She said the agency "made real progress" on space-related priorities she laid out early in her term: revising rules, promoting innovation and protecting space sustainability. She said the Space Bureau creation signaled to other nations that they need to collaborate with the U.S. on space. Staffing the bureau and adding engineers and policy experts allowed the agency to be quicker and more nimble as a regulator, said Rosenworcel, noting it processed 74% more applications in 2023 than 2022.

Along with its pending request for a planned 258-satellite radionavigation satellite service (see 2307120002), Xona Space Systems is requesting that the FCC approve launch and operation of one of those satellites. In an FCC Space Bureau application posted Monday, Xona said the satellite would be the first of the 258 providing commercial RNSS capabilities. It is intended to validate the company's first production-class satellite and evaluate its Pulsar radionavigaiton service's performance.

The European Commission (EC) and European Space Agency (ESA) have contracted with the SpaceRISE consortium of Eutelsat, SES and Hispasat for creation and operation of a 290-satellite low and medium earth orbit broadband constellation, SpaceRISE said Monday. The constellation "will be the preferred and trusted network for Europe in delivering secure and reliable high-performance communication solutions to the EU and its Member States as well as high-speed broadband connectivity for European citizens, governmental authorities and businesses, playing a transformative role in reinforcing Europe’s digital sovereignty, and low-latency connectivity." SpaceRISE added that the EC, ESA and EU member states will cover roughly $6.8 billion of the costs, or nearly 60%. Satmarin Exoflux's Michael De Coninck wrote Monday that the constelation's targeted 2030 delivery date "is the aerospace equivalent of arriving fashionably late to a party."

Air Canada -- with a large portion of its fleet getting Intelsat 2Ku service -- will begin offering free Wi-Fi on flights. It said last week that starting in May complementary Wi-Fi would be available to Aeroplan members on Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft for flights within North American markets. The airline said its plans call for expanding free Wi-Fi to long-haul international routes in 2026.

It's likely the incoming administration will look more favorably on satellite mega constellations, which could mean full approval of SpaceX's second-generation Starlink network of 30,456 satellites instead of the partial approval it has now, ABI Research's Andrew Cavalier wrote Friday. SpaceX is expected to lead global orbital launches in 2024 with 297 missions -- 42% of all launches. SpaceX's Starship rocket could further reduce launch costs, he added.