V-Band NGSO Round Has Plans for 38,000 Satellites
Nine satellite operators submitted plans for a combined more than 38,000 non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) V-band satellites, in a series of FCC International Bureau applications and U.S. market access petitions last week in response to the V-band processing round instituted after Viasat, Mangata and AST V-band petitions (see 2108040062).
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Boeing, which got FCC OK last week for its planned 147-satellite V-band constellation (see 2111030051), asked in a modification application to add 119 V-band medium orbit (MEO) satellites and 5,670 low earth orbit (LEO) satellites. It said if the FCC can't grant the modification application without pulling Boeing’s licensed satellites from the 2017 processing round and putting them in the 2021 V-band processing round, the company might withdraw its modification application.
Astra Space Platform Services is planning a constellation of as many as 13,620 V-band NGSOs to be deployed in three phases. It said it has more than 50 launches under contract to put its satellites in low earth orbit. It said it might also look at frequencies outside the V-band processing round.
OneWeb, in a proposed modification of its 2018 V-band constellation's U.S. market access grant, said it wants to reduce the number of authorized satellites in the first phase from 720 to 716, and increase in the second phase the authorizations from 716 satellites to 6,372, and add other V- and E-band frequencies. OneWeb said its first-generation constellation will provide global service in 2022, but broadband service demand has accelerated in the past two years, intensifying the need for more capacity. It said its V-band system will expand its ability to provide broadband, cellular backhaul and mobility services over its first-generation constellation.
Inmarsat petitioned for U.S. market access for 198 satellites that, along with its L-band Elera and Ka-band Global Xpress constellations and terrestrial 5G infrastructure, will make up its planned Orchestra network. It said the NGSOs will provide additional capacity in higher demand and remote areas, including oceanic flight corridors.
Hughes' petition for market access for its 1,440-satellite Hvnet system said it would provide broadband and 5G services in the U.S. and elsewhere. Intelsat in a market access petition said the planned 216 V-band MEOs would complement its existing geostationary fleet and let it build a multi-orbit, multifrequency, software-defined 5G network.
Telesat said its two-stage V-band constellation -- with deployment of 289 satellites, followed by an additional 1,373 -- would use polar orbits for global coverage along with inclined orbits for additional capacity over the highly populated mid-latitude areas. It said the V-band satellites are intended to supplement the capacity of its Ka-band Lightspeed constellation.
As part of its second-generation constellation, Amazon's Kuiper is planning 7,774 V- and Ku-band satellites. It said 3,236 of its Kuiper-V satellites would supplement the capacity and range of its already-approved Ka-band NGSO constellation with V-band payloads, while the remaining satellites would operate in the V and Ku bands.
Britain's SN Space Systems, a subsidiary of launch company SpinLaunch, also requested in its U.S. market access application for its planned 1,190-satelite constellation that the FCC start a Ku- and Ka-band processing round.