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What Starlink Gen 3 proposes
The filing describes a multi-gigabit broadband constellation using Ku-, Ka-, V-, E-, W- and D-band spectrum. It specifies two lower shells with nominal altitudes of 323–327.5 kilometers and 473–477.5 kilometers. The request is separate from SpaceX’s different proposal for as many as one million orbital data-center satellites.
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SpaceX says the additional capacity is needed for advanced connectivity and artificial-intelligence workloads. The filing states: "AI requires massive uplink capacity to support high-definition spatial and auditory data necessary for real-time decision-making and industrial automation." Those are SpaceX’s stated requirements, not an FCC finding that the constellation is necessary or authorized.
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- The 100,000-satellite figure is a requested maximum, not a launched total.
- Gen 3’s final authorization, launch schedule, operating frequencies and enforceable interference limits remain unresolved in FCC review and technical coordination.
- Existing Starlink measurements cannot be treated as a direct emissions profile for hardware that has not yet launched.
Why radio astronomers are concerned
Radio telescopes detect natural signals that can be far weaker than terrestrial or satellite transmissions. Interference can be a planned uplink or downlink, energy that spills outside an assigned channel, harmonics of a transmitter, or unintended radiation from clocks, processors, power systems and other electronics.
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The 2026 SNIFFLES programme recorded 4,629 satellite observations during 375.9 hours. It identified 2,345 interference instances across more than 300 unique frequencies and found all three categories of emissions. The detections included harmonics associated with Starlink direct-to-cell transmissions and radiation from satellite electronics.
What measurements have already shown
| Measured finding | Why it matters to observatories |
|---|---|
| Signals detected at 1,613.19 MHz and at 2,690.76/2,700 MHz | These frequencies fall in or near primary radio-astronomy allocations, where natural observations receive regulatory protection. |
| At 2,700 MHz, unintended radiation appeared in 76.9% of observations of the relevant satellite version | A signal that is not part of a planned communications beam can still recur often enough to disrupt observing. |
| Australia Telescope Compact Array follow-up measured flux densities up to 11 orders of magnitude above typical astronomical sources | Such signals can overwhelm or saturate a radio receiver rather than merely add a small amount of noise. |
| SNIFFLES found emissions from direct-to-cell harmonics and platform electronics | Mitigation must address both communications transmitters and the spacecraft’s unintended electromagnetic leakage. |
These results establish a current interference problem involving observed satellite generations. They do not prove that every Gen 3 satellite will emit at the same levels or frequencies, but they explain why astronomers are asking for binding protections before a much larger constellation is approved.
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Why 100,000 satellites change the scheduling problem
An observatory can sometimes avoid a known satellite by changing a scan, selecting another target or waiting for a pass to end. That strategy becomes harder as the number of spacecraft rises and as satellites use steerable, high-capacity beams.
Modelling based on filings for Starlink Gen 2, OneWeb phase 2 and GuoWang forecasts beam coupling between a radio-astronomy station and at least one satellite every few minutes when the station’s main beam is assumed to be one-half degree wide. The result is a planning problem: a telescope may lose observing time repeatedly even when each individual satellite pass is brief.
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Operational effects
- Observers may need to discard scans taken during a coupling event.
- Dynamic scheduling becomes more complex when several satellites are visible or transmitting simultaneously.
- Repeated receiver saturation can require calibration, data excision or a temporary change of observing mode.
- Low-altitude shells increase the angular speed of satellites across the sky, shortening warning and avoidance windows.
What frequencies and protections are at issue
Gen 3’s proposed use of Ku-, Ka-, V-, E-, W- and D-band spans a wide range of microwave and millimetre-wave spectrum. A frequency being outside an astronomy allocation does not automatically make it harmless: strong signals can leak through filters, generate harmonics or overload a receiver. Conversely, a detection in a protected allocation raises a direct regulatory concern because radio-astronomy services have primary status under applicable U.S. and international rules.
The American Astronomical Society says those protected allocations must remain protected. It also warns that uncontrolled unintended electromagnetic radiation could become pervasive as satellite populations grow, even while acknowledging SpaceX’s continuing mitigation work.
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FCC oversight and coordination
FCC authorizations for Starlink-related systems have included astronomy coordination and reporting conditions. Requirements have involved collaboration with NASA, coordination with the National Science Foundation on optical-astronomy effects, and annual reports describing coordination and mitigation activity.
SpaceX finalized an NSF coordination agreement in 2023. Such an agreement creates a framework for working with affected facilities, but the practical strength of protection depends on measurable limits, coverage of unintended emissions, response times and consequences when mitigation fails. Gen 3’s conditions have not yet been set.
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Mitigation efforts already under way
Observatory coordination
SpaceX has worked with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory on satellite boresight-avoidance capabilities, which can steer high-gain beams away from radio telescopes when their locations are known. Avoidance can reduce direct illumination, but it does not by itself remove leakage from spacecraft electronics or harmonics from other transmitters.
Allen Telescope Array collaboration
On June 18, 2025, the SETI Institute and SpaceX announced a collaboration to protect Allen Telescope Array observations from satellite interference, including direct-to-cell transmissions. The project extends the broader coordination approach and provides a venue for testing operational measures against real observing schedules.
What effective mitigation would need to cover
- Planned uplink and downlink beams, including direct-to-cell services.
- Out-of-band emissions and harmonics that reach protected allocations.
- Unintended radiation from onboard electronics across the satellite’s operating modes.
- Rapid notification and reliable avoidance interfaces for observatories.
- Independent measurements and reporting that can verify compliance over time.
Can SpaceX and radio telescopes coexist?
They can coexist only if coordination is paired with engineering controls and enforceable oversight. Existing agreements and the SETI Institute collaboration show that practical cooperation is possible. However, the SNIFFLES and ATCA results demonstrate why voluntary scheduling alone is not enough: some emissions are unintended, can recur frequently and may be bright enough to saturate receivers.
The key decision for Gen 3 is therefore not simply how many satellites can share the sky. It is whether the FCC authorization will define measurable limits for every emission class, require verification across the constellation’s full operating envelope, and give observatories workable remedies when interference occurs. Until those conditions are public, Gen 3 remains a large, technically ambitious proposal with unresolved consequences for radio astronomy.
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