Non-geostationary orbit satellite operators Kineis and Myriota are urging the FCC to incorporate a satellite system's mass into determining the regulatory fees that a satellite operator is charged. In a docket 24-85 filing posted Friday, Kineis recapped meetings with staffers from the four FCC commissioners' offices. Kineis told them that its system parameters are similar to the small satellite category envisioned in the space regulatory fee alternatives proceeding (see 2502260017), but those parameters are also very different from virtually all systems other than Myriota's. Kineis said that while other countries often look at frequency use in determining regulatory fees, Kineis' frequency use in the U.S. is much less than many small satellite systems. While the fee alternatives Further NPRM would have it pay close to $145,000 annually in regulatory fees, Kineis said paying two to three times the small satellite regulatory fee -- which would be $25,000 to $35,000 -- would be appropriate for its network. The number of satellites in a constellation doesn't directly correlate with its regulatory burden and complexity, and it's necessary to factor in the total mass of satellites because it's a proxy for characteristics that implicate complexity and regulatory burden, like greater frequency use and larger potential for orbital debris, Kineis said. Recapping meetings with the office of FCC Chairman Brendan Carr and the Space Bureau, Myriota also backed incorporating system mass into regulatory fees.

SpaceX's plans to increase from 50 Falcon 9 launches annually from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to as many as 120 shouldn't have major effects on airspace and maritime activities in the region, the FAA said Friday in a draft environmental assessment. SpaceX is also proposing to build and operate a Falcon 9 landing zone there, the agency said. Its assessment said it didn't expect big cumulative effects on air quality from the proposed operations. If it turns out there are significant noise issues from the proposed operations, "then appropriate mitigations would be developed, where practicable to minimize or avoid impacts."

The FCC can grease the path for increased numbers of commercial space launches if it requires launch operators to submit launch spectrum coordination information to a third-party coordinator five to 10 days before launch, according to SpaceX. In a docket 13-115 filing Friday recapping meetings with FCC Wireless Bureau and Office of Engineering and Technology staff, SpaceX said many satellites lack launch windows until 10 days prior, so requiring initial coordination to start 60-80 days before launch would increase administrative burdens and uncertainty. SpaceX said a spectrum coordination time frame of 60-80 days would have meant 17 to 20 re-coordination efforts per launch for SpaceX in 2024 -- several times more than what would be required in a time frame of five to 10 days.

Indian telecommunications companies Bharti Airtel and Jio announced agreements this week to partner with SpaceX on offering its Starlink broadband service in India, once SpaceX has Indian regulatory approval for market access.

The Cochise County, Arizona, Sheriff’s Office has signed an agreement with Intelsat to use the satellite operator's connectivity alongside 5G cellular to provide voice and broadband connectivity in previously unconnected areas along the southern U.S. border, Intelsat said Wednesday. Under the deal, 10 systems were installed in police vehicles, and four more will be placed at the county's 911 dispatch center. At the Satellite 2025 show this week, Intelsat CEO David Wajsgras cited border security as a potential growth opportunity for the company.

Amazon expects to slightly decrease the number of satellites in its planned V- and Ku-band Kuiper satellite network. In an FCC Satellite Bureau application posted Wednesday, it said its plans now call for 38 fewer satellites in the three systems that will make up the V- and Ku-band Kuiper network. The company also said it wants to add the 17.3-17.8 GHz frequencies to the bands the Kuiper network will use and to expand the use of certain Ka- and V-band frequencies to other parts of the systems. Amazon said its first-generation V- and Ku-band Kuipers would number 3,232, instead of 3,236, its second-gen Kuiper system would number 3,212 instead of 3,236, and its polar orbit Kuipers would number 1,292 instead of 1,302.

Basalt Technologies wants FCC Space Bureau approval to test a three-cubesat constellation operated by AI. In an application posted Tuesday to launch and operate its Spirit-EEL system, San Francisco-based Basalt said a huge challenge for modern satellite fleets is the provision of "continuous, high-precision management without labor-intensive staffing." It said it would use AI systems to manage and control the earth imaging satellites in orbit "with minimal human intervention" as it tests the algorithms.

Globalstar's planned C-3 satellite system (see 2502280001) can't operate in the 1.6/2.4 GHz band, as the FCC has made clear it won't let new mobile satellite service systems there before updating the band's rules, SpaceX told the FCC Space Bureau last week. It said the agency had to dismiss Globalstar's "premature" application. SpaceX urged FCC action on its year-old petition to allow new entrants into the 1.6/2.4 GHz band (see 2402230027), saying that would be a good vehicle for updating the rules so Globalstar could then submit its C-3 application. SpaceX said Globalstar's proposed higher-power system in the band "would also fundamentally alter the spectrum environment [there] to the detriment of prospective competitors, such as SpaceX."

SiriusXM is planning to launch its SXM-10 satellite as soon as June 8 and is asking the FCC Space Bureau for permission to use it to replace its FM-6 satellite. In a bureau application posted Friday, it said SXM-10 was originally going to replace the XM-5 satellite, but the company now plans to replace XM-5 in 2026 with SXM-11, which is under construction.

The FCC's unanimous approval of the 2360-2395 MHz band for space launch communications goes into effect April 7, said a notice in Friday's Federal Register. The commissioners at the end of 2024 approved reallocating the 2360-2395 MHz band on a secondary basis for space launch operations (see 2412310029).