by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor
Jeff Bezos’ Amazon has jumped into a crowded field of companies seeking to provide high-speed broadband, data and other communications services to the entire globe.
Amazon’s Kuiper constellation of 3,236 satellites brings the total number of spacecraft in the 16 announced systems to 20,241 spacecraft. The competition includes SpaceX, Boeing, Telesat, SES and government-backed companies in China and Russia.
SpaceX has filed a new application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for approval to launch a constellation of 7,518 satellites to provide communications in the little used V band.
The system is in addition to another constellations of 4,425 satellites (plus orbital spares) SpaceX proposed in November that would operate in the Ku and Ka bands. In total, the two constellations would have 11,943 spacecraft plus spares.
“When combined into a single, coordinated system, these ‘LEO’ and ‘VLEO’ constellations will enable SpaceX to provide robust broadband services on a full and continuous global basis,” SpaceX said in its application.
Competitor OneWeb has submitted a new application that would add an additional 2,000 satellites capable of operating in the V-band to its planned constellation of 720 satellites.
While SpaceX has received most of the attention for its plan to launch more than 4,000 broadband satellite network, the constellation makes up just over half the number of spacecraft that companies have proposed placing in non-geosynchronous satellite orbit (NGSO).
Companies have filed applications with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to launch 8,731 NGSO communications satellites. While most of the constellations would provide broadband and communications services, others would collect Earth observation data.
According to the International Telecommunications Union, NGSO spacecraft “occupy a range of orbital positions (LEO satellites are located between 700km-1,500km from the Earth, MEO satellites are located at 10,000km from the Earth), and do not maintain a stationary position, but instead move in relation to the Earth’s surface.”
SpaceX leads the pack with 4,425 spacecraft, followed by Boeing with 2,956 and WorldVu (aka, OneWeb) with 720. Boeing has a second application before the FCC for a constellation with 60 satellites.
The table below provides a summary of the applications filed with the FCC.
| NGSO APPLICATIONS BEFORE FCC | |||||
| COMPANY | LOCATION | NO. OF SATELLITES | BANDS | SERVICES | |
| SpaceX | Hawthorne, CA | 4,425 | Ka, Ku | Global broadband | |
| Boeing | Seattle, WA | 2,956 | V | Advanced communications, Internet-based services | |
| WorldVu (OneWeb) | Arlington, VA | 720 | Ku | Global broadband | |
| Kepler Communications | Toronto, ONT | 140 | Ku | Machine-to-machine communications (Internet of Things) | |
| Telesat Canada | Ottawa, ONT | 117 | Ka | Wide band and narrow band communications services | |
| Theia Holdings A, Inc. | Philadelphia, PA | 112 | Ka | Integrated Earth observation and communications network | |
| Spire Global | San Francisco, CA | 100 | Ka | Maritime monitoring, meteorological monitoring, and earth imaging services | |
| LeoSat MA | Pompano Beach, FL | 80 | Ka | Broadband services | |
| Boeing | Seattle, WA | 60 | Ka | Very high speed connectivity for end-user earth stations | |
| O3b | Washington, DC | 60 | Ka | Broadband services | |
| ViaSat | Carlsbad, CA | 24 | Ka, V | Broadband services | |
| Karousel LLC | Alexandria, VA | 12 | Ka | Communications | |
| Audacy Communications | Walnut, CA | 3 | K, V | Data relay constellation providing satellite operators with seamless access to NGSO satellites | |
| Space Norway AS | Oslo, Norway | 2 | Ka, Ku | Arctic broadband | |
