SpaceX Seeks OK for V-Band Payloads on Lower-Orbit Starlinks

SpaceX wants V-band capabilities on some of its lower-orbiting second-generation Starlink satellites. In an FCC Space Bureau application posted Wednesday, the company asked for authority to include V-band payloads on its second-generation satellites orbiting at 340-360 km. The agency last year approved V-band payloads on second-generation Starlinks operating at 525-535 km (see 2310160053). SpaceX said the FCC giving it more V-band deployment options would augment its broadband service capabilities using V-band frequencies. It said it can share V-band frequencies with other non-geostationary orbit systems and conventional geostationary orbit satellites and terrestrial networks at 300 km without becoming a significant interference threat.