NGSO Processing Round Shows Big Plans From SpaceX, OneWeb

Such potential numbers should increase policy urgency on space sustainability, but the U.S. government's position seems that orbital debris mitigation standard practices are adequate and restrictions would first need more substantial debate and study, emailed Brian Weeden, Secure World Foundation program planning director. Weeden said the new applications raise of the question of what "appropriation" means for an orbit. Normally, it comes up about extracting resources from the moon or other celestial body, he said. Allowing one company to put thousands or tens of thousands of satellites in one region "effectively means another company can't safely operate there and whether or not that is effectively giving ownership of that part of space to a company," he said.

The volume of potential NGSOs "absolutely should change" how regulators are approaching space sustainability, and license applications should require an independent analysis of the long-term impact of the near-earth environment, including end-of-life disposal strategy, said Moriba Jah, University of Texas-Austin associate professor of aerospace engineering. That independent evaluation isn't happening, with too much weight put on companies' own assertions of safety and sustainability, he said.

Saying it could take years or decades for people in rural and remote areas to get 5G, SpaceX proposed a second-generation NGSO constellation of 30,000 satellites, most below 400 kilometers altitude and using small spot beams. Those would be atop the nearly 12,000 V-, Ka- and Ku-band NGSO satellites already approved. The second-gen constellation would use the Ka, Ku and E bands, and each satellite would have triple the data capacity.

OneWeb asked to modify its market access grant by splitting it into two phases, with the first phase cutting the number of authorized satellites from 720 to 716, and phase two increasing the maximum to 47,844. It's not proposing a change in the bands where it has approval. OneWeb filed a modification to up its authorized constellation from 720 to 1,980 (see 1803200002) in 2018, but withdrew it Monday.

Atop the 117 satellites already authorized, Telesat seeks OK for a two-phase modification, with the first adding 181 more satellites, the second adding 1,373. It said more satellites means more in view of any given user or gateway, cutting the probability that, even without coordination, band segmentation would be required

Kepler plans a 360-satellite constellation providing broadband service at 55 degrees north latitude and above, covering parts of Alaska, said its request for U.S. market access. It said its second-gen constellation would focus on rural Alaskans, maritime Arctic vessels, long-haul flights at high latitudes and public sector customers operating in the Arctic. Its Ku-band network being deployed received U.S. market access in 2018.

Viasat asked to modify its NGSO authorization to increase satellites from 20 to 288 and to lower the altitude from 8,200 kilometers to 1,300. It said there would be no change to authorized frequencies. It said its extremely-high-capacity satellites in the modified constellation should have four to five times the capacity of any low earth orbit satellite proposed to date. SES' O3b wants to add 70 satellites to its U.S. market access for its U.K.-licensed 20-satellite Ka-band medium earth orbit (MEO) system. EOS Defense Systems wants to modify its Audacy MEO constellation license by adding service links in the 17.7-18.6 GHz, 18.8-20.2 GHz and 27.5-30 GHz bands and enhanced feeder link service in the 19.7.20.2 GHz and 29.5-30.0 GHz bands

Startup Mangata Networks asked for U.S. market access for its planned medium-orbit/high-orbit hybrid constellation of 823 satellites. It said the U.K. is authorizing its constellation. The company said its focus is on global cellular network backhaul and connectivity services such as local networks and cloud services to unserved and underserved areas and to aircraft.