Elon Musk’s SpaceX revealed new plans for the next-generation of satellites in its Starlink internet system in federal filings Wednesday, including details on how the company intends to use its massive Starship rocket as the primary vehicle to deliver the spacecraft to orbit.
SpaceX filed an amendment with the Federal Communications Commission that included a description of the plan, known as the Starlink “Gen2 System.”
“This Gen2 System was designed to complement the first-generation constellation SpaceX is currently deploying,” SpaceX wrote in the filing. “While the original constellation provides unprecedented capacity for a satellite system, the demand for more broadband continues to grow unabated and the need for user connectivity has never been more important.”
Starlink is the company’s capital-intensive project to build an interconnected internet network with thousands of satellites, known in the space industry as a constellation, designed to deliver high-speed internet to consumers anywhere on the planet.