SpaceX Seeks FCC Approval for 100,000 Gen3 Starlink Satellites
SpaceX filed an application with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Monday, July 6, 2026, requesting authorization to deploy up to 100,000 third-generation Starlink satellites. The filing outlines a low-latency, high-capacity global communications network designed to route internet backhaul traffic for billions of consumers, enterprise clients, and artificial intelligence devices.
The 100,000-satellite Gen3 application marks a sharp escalation beyond the FCC's prior constellation approvals, which authorized a second batch of 7,500 second-generation spacecraft and capped the active Gen2 fleet at 15,000. The expansion runs entirely separate from the company's distinct Starmind orbital data-center project, which envisions up to 1 million dedicated compute satellites mass-produced at the company's Texas manufacturing facility.
Each Gen3 spacecraft will carry a dry mass of roughly 2,000 kilograms, a weight profile the company says can only be accommodated at scale by its heavy-lift launch system. The constellation will be distributed across two sets of very low Earth orbit shells, with altitudes managed between 323 and 327.5 kilometers and between 473 and 477.5 kilometers. According to the filing data, hardware upgrades yield a tenfold increase in satellite capabilities, pushing maximum downlink throughput for a single satellite to 1 terabit per second. Symmetrical uplink capacity is projected to rise 22-fold, to between 160 and 200 gigabits per second.
To support these data volumes, the spacecraft will deploy an integrated network of phased-array beamforming systems, electronic beam-steering antennas, and high-speed optical inter-satellite laser links. In addition to its active Ku-, Ka-, V-, and E-band licenses, the company has requested permission to use the untapped W-band and D-band frequencies between 92 GHz and 275 GHz to secure the backhaul margins required for autonomous data transit.
To manage the automated software engineering and orchestration tools needed for a fleet of this scale, SpaceX is moving toward closing its pending $60 billion all-stock acquisition of coding-assistant developer Anysphere, first highlighted in its pre-IPO regulatory disclosures. The company will also need to satisfy orbital safety conditions, demonstrate active debris-mitigation capabilities, and coordinate with the National Science Foundation to prevent radio and optical interference with ground-based astronomical observations.
The filing positions low Earth orbit as long-term communications infrastructure, with the Gen3 network optimized to carry backhaul traffic for a growing base of connected devices. The proposed 100,000-satellite total would substantially exceed the company's currently authorized fleet size, representing the largest single constellation request submitted to the FCC to date.
The regulatory review path ahead will determine whether the FCC approves the application on a timeline comparable to earlier Starlink generations, and how it handles the orbital safety, debris-mitigation, and astronomical-interference conditions attached to the request. The closing of the Anysphere acquisition remains pending.