A Ukrainian nonprofit is opposing SpaceX’s renewed push to operate over 30,000 Starlink satellites, and urging the Federal Communications Commission to hit the brakes.
The demand comes from the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), which previously called on the FCC to investigate SpaceX’s CEO Elon Musk and his decision to curb Starlink’s military use in Ukraine’s war against Russia.
On Wednesday, the nonprofit submitted two filings to the FCC, opposing SpaceX’s recent application to increase the Starlink constellation by over 22,000 satellites —a request the company may very well receive under the incoming Trump administration.
The satellite expansion promises to improve coverage, speeds and latency for Starlink, which has played a crucial role in helping the Ukrainian military defend against Russia’s continued invasion. However, the UCCA is pushing back, pointing to several concerns, including Musk’s conduct and how Russian forces have also been using Starlink on the battlefield.
“There is a necessity to determine if Starlink has been used to help a foreign adversary,” UCCA President Michael Sawkiw, Jr., told CNBC. “If yes, this is not in the national security interest of Ukrainian-Americans, or of the entire country.”
The first filing calls for the FCC to hit pause on all applications and proceedings involving SpaceX because Musk is set to run a new Department of Government Efficiency under Trump focused on making major cuts to the federal government. The UCCA argues this “creates the appearance of a conflict of interest” since Musk will have some influence over the FCC, which regulates his company SpaceX.
“Such an arrangement violates the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) of 1972,” the filing says, later adding: “For this reason, the FCC should stop processing all applications and requests filed by SpaceX until all actual and potential conflicts of interest are eliminated.”
The second filing urges the FCC to deny or suspend the Starlink expansion, pointing to the potential environmental damage the increasing rocket launches could cause in Texas. “Under applicable federal law the Commission is obligated to require an environmental assessment or impact statement before taking action on the application,” the UCCA says.
“The calculus is simple, more satellites and launches lead to more polluting, soot, gases and metals in the Earth’s atmosphere,” the filing added. “There is also the concern of what will happen to the environment when these satellites, after their time is spent, reenter the atmosphere. At peak deployment, it’s estimated that 29 tons of satellites will re-enter our atmosphere daily.”
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The FCC didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But incoming Republican Chair Brendan Carr, an Elon Musk ally, will likely reject the pleas. Back in April, he blasted the Ukrainian nonprofit’s previous attempt urging the FCC to investigate Musk’s alleged “shilling” for the Russian government.
“Their submission is chock full of sweeping and unmoored allegations about ‘illegal meddling in US foreign policy’ in Ukraine and complaints about the ways in which Starlink connectivity has been provided within Ukraine,” Carr wrote at the time, later adding: “The FCC should dismiss this filing with prejudice, lest the agency’s silence invite even more attempts just like it.”
Nevertheless, others have also been urging the FCC to take a more cautious approach to expanding satellite approvals. In October, a group of 120 astronomers and space experts called on the Commission to study the environmental effects of “mega constellations” like Starlink before approving more launches.
In the meantime, a representative for the UCCA said it’s “too early to say” whether the nonprofit will consider filing a lawsuit, “but the group is keeping all its options open.”
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About Michael Kan
Senior Reporter
