From PC Mag: Not content with developing reusable rockets, planning to take humans to Mars, and having a Roadster in space, Elon Musk also wants to improve the internet here on Earth using satellites. The FCC just approved SpaceX's revised plans to do just that.
SpaceX's plan is to develop a satellite constellation that offers a low-cost, high performance solution to providing fast internet access. It's called Starlink and will consist of close to 12,000 satellites eventually, spread across multiple orbits. Until now, the FCC had approved 4,425 Starlink satellites for deployment in orbits ranging from 1,110 to 1,325 kilometers.
As The Verge reports, SpaceX realized the selected range of orbits wasn't good enough after launching two demo satellites back in February. It was then requested that 1,584 of the satellites be allowed to fly in a much lower orbit at 550 kilometers. The FCC has now approved the change (PDF).
By lowering the orbit, SpaceX realized it could cut transmission latency to just 15 milliseconds while achieving the same amount of coverage using 16 fewer satellites. Any Starlink satellites that fail at this height will still burn up in Earth's atmosphere, so there's no additional risk of debris compared to satellites in higher orbits.
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