FCC Approves 7,500 More Starlink Satellites for SpaceX

Is Starlink's expansion a connectivity breakthrough, or an environmental threat to our skies and climate?

Published 12 hours ago

FCC Approves 7,500 More Starlink Satellites for SpaceX

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Above: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a payload of 24 Starlink internet satellites launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base on July 18, 2025. Image credit: Kevin Carter/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

Authorizing 15,000 advanced Starlink satellites signifies a massive win for American technological dominance and connectivity. This expansion will deliver unprecedented high-speed internet to underserved communities nationwide while strengthening competition in the broadband market. Cutting obsolete regulations and enabling next-generation mobile services ensures no American gets left behind in the digital age.

Trump FCC

Brendan Carr on X

Establishment-critical narrative

Launching thousands of more satellites threatens astronomical research and creates the single largest collision risk in Earth's orbit. The megaconstellation will pollute pristine night skies while burning satellites dump aluminum oxide into the atmosphere with unknown climate consequences. Regulatory agencies are enabling an uncontrolled experiment that could irreversibly damage both scientific observation and Earth's atmospheric chemistry.

Space.com