SpaceX Gives More Details on Tests for Planned Satellite Constellation

A chief goal of SpaceX's proposed satellite test is validation of a broadband antenna communications platform design that will be part of the final constellation design, the company said in an FCC Office of Engineering and Technology filing posted Wednesday. SpaceX said it plans to use three broadband array test ground stations on the West Coast to test its Ku-band tests for less than 10 minutes a day on average every 0.9 days. To avoid any signal interference, the microsatellites to be tested will at times reduce the Ku transmission power or at times quit Ku downlink emissions entirely, it said. The company in its filing also clarified its collision avoidance plan, saying it would work with the Joint Space Operations Center on cataloging satellites before launch and making orbital parameters available to it. SpaceX's proposed satellite tests in advance of a low earth orbit constellation providing a global broadband service have seen pushback from Intelsat, because that company has raised concerns about Ku-downlink interference and collision risks (see 1509110013).