In its latest long series of reversals, SpaceX has sought permission from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to operate the Starlink Internet Antenna mounted on the Starship 15 serial number (SN15).
The first in a planned batch of four or more upgraded spacecraft models, the SN15 launched one mile from the SpaceX plant in South Texas to a sub-orbital launch pad last weekend. Around the same time that the rear tank section was fitted to the nose on April 3, the first several 360-degree sightings of the missile revealed an unusual addition to the hatch above the Starship’s front turret. As far back as 2019’s Starhopper, Starships has used the space between the tank and the nosecone as a berth for avionics, Tesla batteries, and a number of radio and GPS antennas, among others.
The new device was generally undetectable by radar, but most who paid attention thought it was some sort of antenna upgrade. As it turns out, this speculation is almost certainly true – but not quite what we expected.
When the SN15 antenna just made its debut, The author speculates It bears a striking resemblance to the SpaceX Starlink dish. However, other forum users have argued that it’s likely the upgraded S-band antenna is similar to the one used on SpaceX’s Falcon rocket. Author Then it is observed The S-band antenna section at the Falcon booster junction is roughly the same size as the new antenna and the enclosure seen on the Starship SN15, appears to close the case.
Nine days later, SpaceX requested permission from the FCC to operate the Starlink (former station) antenna in Boca Chica “at an altitude not exceeding 12.5 km” during operations “on the ground or during flight tests”. In other words, the antenna mounted on the Starship SN15 is almost certainly a Starlink dish. Surrounded by an aerodynamic hood, the antenna is securely attached to the missile and will rely solely on advanced beam formation to electronically orient itself for transmission and reception from one or more of the nearly a thousand satellites currently operating at Starlink in orbit. .
In a special request from SpaceX’s Federal Communications Commission (STA), the company respectfully requested that the 60-day trial period begin on April 20. Even if the FCC moves very fast and delivers STAs within days to a week of the April 9 SpaceX request, the company is unlikely to delay testing the Starship SN15 or launch plans for nearly ten days pending permission to use the new missile. Starlink Antenna. In other words, the SN15 is the first spacecraft with a Starlink antenna attached, there’s a good chance it won’t be the first to actually test this capability – either on Earth or during launch.
While unlikely, the fact that the Starship SN15 Starlink SpaceX antenna mount is roughly the same size as a reliable S-band setup but far more basic than the Falcon, which also raises the question of whether the vehicle’s flight test was successful or not. Starlink plates add future Falcon boosters. Regardless, Starship SN15 is on its way to kick off a busy qualifying exam week in South Texas. If the missile experiences major delays, as is typical of Starship prototypes, there is a good chance the SN15 will start testing Starlink antennas in the middle of next week.
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