--- title: "The FCC Just Approved SpaceX’s Plan to Launch 7,518 Internet Satellites" description: "The FCC approved a SpaceX request to launch more than 7,000 internet-broadcasting satellites. The only catch: They need to do it fast." date: "2018-11-15" modified: "2018-11-15" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/spacex-satellites-approval-fcc" categories: - "FCC" - "Future Society" - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "elon musk" - "satellites" - "SpaceX" --- # The FCC Just Approved SpaceX’s Plan to Launch 7,518 Internet Satellites ![The FCC approved a SpaceX request to launch more than 7,000 internet-broadcasting satellites. The only catch: they need to do it fast.]() *\Image: SpaceX\* ## Space Web SpaceX just overcame a key bureaucratic obstacle to its hyper-ambitious plan for a global satellite internet system. On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) [approved SpaceX's request]() to launch 7,518 internet-broadcasting satellites. That's in addition to [an approval it granted]() the Elon Musk-led spacetech venture back in March for 4,425 satellites, bringing the total the company can launch to almost 12,000. ## FCC Won't Let Me Be Musk says that the Starlink satellite constellation will maintain a line of sight to everyone on Earth, providing global internet connectivity — an entrepreneurial pitch that clearly resonated with the FCC's current leadership. "I’m excited to see what these services might promise and what these proposed constellations have to offer," [FCC chairman Ajit Pai]() said during the announcement, citing the commission's interest in encouraging "the private sector to invest and to innovate and allow market forces to deliver value to American consumers." ## After Musk The FCC's approval is conditional, though. SpaceX only gets to launch the full number of satellites if it manages to get half of them off the ground by 2024. Still, the approval was a triumphant moment for SpaceX, maybe even one worth [shouting about]() from a watchtower made of dirt bricks — so long as your French accent is on point, of course." **READ MORE:** [FCC Approves Spacex’s Plan to Launch More Than 7,000 Internet-Beaming Satellites]() \[*The Verge*\] ***More on SpaceX: [NASA Certifies SpaceX’s Falcon 9 to Launch Its Top Missions]()*** ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()