SpaceX and other commercial space companies are pressing the Trump administration and Federal Communications Commission for easier access to wireless spectrum, arguing the current system is too slow and cumbersome to support a sharp increase in rocket launches, Bloomberg reports.
The industry wants the FCC to eliminate the Aerospace and Flight Test Radio Coordinating Council, which coordinates spectrum use among launch operators, aerospace companies and government agencies, and replace it with a self-coordination system.
SpaceX’s plans to dramatically increase launches, potentially to 10,000 rockets a year, as it pursues ambitions including space-based data centers, intensifying the dispute and testing the company’s influence in Washington.
However, aerospace and defense companies including Boeing, Lockheed Martin and RTX oppose the changes, warning that interference could disrupt aircraft and missile testing and compromise critical data transmissions. GE Healthcare has also raised concerns that rocket launches could interfere with wireless hospital sensors used to monitor patients’ vital signs, while the Wireless Microphone Spectrum Alliance warns of potential disruptions to live broadcasts of major sporting events.
Supporters of the changes argue that the existing coordination process, which requires launch operators to schedule activities weeks in advance, is an outdated barrier to the rapidly expanding commercial space industry. Opponents counter that replacing it with self-coordination could create uncertainty and interference for other industries that rely on the same spectrum. The FCC is moving quickly to consider the proposal, raising concerns among incumbent users that commercial space operators could ultimately gain an advantage.
