US court approves SpaceX's satellite deployment plan

A US appeals court on Friday upheld a decision by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to approve SpaceX's plan to place some Starlink satellites in a lower-than-planned Earth orbit as part of an effort to deliver space-based broadband internet.

Elon Musk's SpaceX has received FCC approval to fly 2,824 satellites into a lower orbit in 2021 to provide high-speed broadband internet services to people who don't currently have access. Rivals Viasat Inc and DISH Network Corp (NASDAQ:DISH) challenged the FCC approval. Viasat said in a statement on Friday that it believes "the decision is a setback for both space safety and environmental protection." "We believe that had the court forced the FCC to address the complex issues associated with the deployment of mega-satellites (in low earth orbit), harmful impacts that could otherwise have persisted for decades or even centuries could have been avoided," the company said. Viasat said in a court filing that SpaceX's deployment plan is gigantic, noting that "by way of comparison, a total of approximately 10,000 satellites have been launched throughout human history." The court ruling found that "Viasat operates a single satellite that flies close to SpaceX's constellation," adding that "this theory of harm is too speculative." Dish said the ruling does not change FCC rules that prohibit SpaceX and other operators from interfering with television service provided by satellite operators. "We will remain vigilant to ensure that SpaceX operations do not harm our millions of satellite customers," DISH said. SpaceX did not immediately comment. On Thursday, US wireless carrier T-Mobile US (NASDAQ:TMUS) Inc announced it would use SpaceX's Starlink satellites to provide network access to mobile users in parts of the US, outlining plans to connect users' cell phones directly to orbiting satellites. The new plans will sit alongside T-mobile's existing cellular services. SpaceX has launched nearly 3,000 Starlink satellites in Earth orbit since 2019, surpassing rivals OneWeb and Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN)'s Project Kuiper. Last month, the FCC rejected SpaceX's Starlink applications for $885.5 million in internet service subsidies after temporarily awarding the funds in 2020.   Follow Global Economic Developments on Social Media! Click here to follow Ieconomy official Facebook account! Click here to follow Ieconomy official Instagram account! Click here to follow Ieconomy official Twitter account!