With already more than 10,000 satellites in orbit, the service Starlink largely dominates the satellite internet sector. But Elon Musk’s firm thinks bigger. An official request has been filed with the FCC, the American telecoms regulator, for the deployment of a third generation constellation. The objective is unprecedented : multiply the current fleet by ten to reach a network of 100 000 satellites.
What is the purpose of this new Gen 3 constellation?
This initiative, called Gen 3, promises a major technological advancement. The new devices will be placed in an even lower orbit, approximately 323 kilometers above sea levelguaranteeing that a dozen satellites are permanently visible from any point on the globe.
This increased density will allow traffic to be routed dynamically to minimize interference. The promise of SpaceX for users is a ultra-low latency and debits qualified as “ multi-gigabits », potentially outperforming some fiber optic connections. The idea is to connect the whole world, including white areaswith unprecedented performances.
Why is artificial intelligence at the heart of the project?
If improving service for consumers is an argument, the real motivation of SpaceX is elsewhere. The filing submitted to the FCC explicitly states: the Gen 3 system was designed to become “ the backbone of the AI era “. The company anticipates an explosion in the number of connected devices dependent onartificial intelligence.
Starlink is connecting more than 12M active customers with high-speed internet across 160+ countries, territories and many other markets.
Thank you to all our customers around the world! ?️?❤️ → https://t.co/9VghjFeG1P pic.twitter.com/urpWSKXrFT
— Starlink (@Starlink) June 4, 2026
These technologies, personal robotics to automated factories and telemedicine, will require uplink capacity (uplink) to transmit data streams in real time. This project is also linked to another ambition of Elon Musk: a constellation of space data centersmanaged by its laboratory renamed SpaceXAI.
What are the risks and obstacles of such a project?
This massive expansion is not without giving rise to serious concerns. The scientific community, particularly astronomers, is warning of the dangers represented by such a proliferation of satellites for thesky observation. The light trails left by these objects are already saturating images from terrestrial telescopes.
Some scientists are calling for a strict global cap of 100,000 satellites in total, a threshold that SpaceX wishes to reach alone. Additionally, with tens of thousands of additional objects, the risk of collisions in low orbit is increasing exponentially, making space traffic management even more complex and perilous. The project awaits approval from the FCC, which will have to weigh the technological progress in the face of these threats.
