Planet Labs Wants to Tweak Its Flock Constellation Spectrum Use

Planet Labs wants to add S-band uplinks and modify the X-band downlinks to its Flock constellation. In an FCC International Bureau license modification submitted Thursday, it also asked for a higher orbit apogee altitude limit from 500 kilometers to 550 kilometers, which would give it more flexibility for its satellites, which are launched as secondary payloads. It said that alongside its authorized use of 2056 MHz for uploads, it also wanted authorization for use of 2054.69 MHz and 2057.31 MHz. The company said it's currently authorized for 8133 and 8200 MHz downlinks, but it wants that changed to one wider bandwidth frequency at 8150 MHz.