The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr has invited Elon Musk-led SpaceX to offer comments on Musk's orbital datacenter goals.
Kardashev-II Level Civilization
In a post on the social media platform X on Wednesday, Carr shared screenshots of a public notice issued by the agency. "The proposed system would serve as a first step towards becoming a Kardashev II-level civilization," among other applications, Carr said in the post.
The notice shared that SpaceX had filed for operating a system of up to 1 million Non-Geostationary Satellites (NSGO) placed 500-2000km above the Earth.
"SpaceX’s proposed System will primarily rely on optical intersatellite-links, which may connect with other satellites in the proposed System," the FCC said, adding that it could also connect with satellites in the company's "first- and second-generation Starlink systems."
SpaceX Seeks Several Waivers
SpaceX has sought a number of waivers in its application for an NSGO system, the public notice shared. Specifically, the company has sought waivers in the FCC Sections 25.156(d) and 25.157, which govern the processing timelines as well as the application processing of the system. A waiver would allow SpaceX to submit its application outside of the designated processing round timelines.
SpaceX has also asked for a waiver of FCC Section 25.164, which requires companies to launch a specific number of satellites within a predetermined timeline and meet operational milestones; failure to do so could result in the cancellation of the license. A waiver of this section would give SpaceX more flexibility.
SpaceX also sought a waiver of the FCC Section 25.165, which requires a company to file a surety bond worth millions with the agency should it fail to honor its obligations, and also sought to waive some conditions outlined in the FCC Section 25.114(a)(1), specifically the Schedule S, which is mandatory for all space filings.
According to the agency, the Schedule S "collects most technical and operational information relevant to the space station." The company has requested a waiver "to the extent necessary," with specific reference "to channel plans for licensed beams, uplink and downlink beams, command beams, and orbital plane configurations," the application says.
The FCC welcomes and now seeks comment on the SpaceX application for Orbital Data Centers.
The proposed system would serve as a first step towards becoming a Kardashev II-level civilization and serve other purposes, according to the applicant. pic.twitter.com/TDnUPuz9w7
The news comes as Musk's artificial intelligence startup, xAI, merged with SpaceX, taking the combined value of the SpaceX-xAI entity to over $1.25 trillion, with SpaceX valued at about $1 trillion and xAI at roughly $250 billion.
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