What changed
The Federal Communications Commission approved SpaceX’s request to launch and operate 7,500 more second-generation Starlink satellites, bringing the approved Gen2 constellation to 15,000. Broadband Breakfast reported the decision on Jan 9, 2026, noting SpaceX already had more than 5,000 Gen2 satellites in orbit.
The approval adds orbital shells as low as 340 km and extra spectrum bands, with higher-power operation subject to a pending FCC rulemaking. The report quotes SpaceX’s stated aim of “symmetrical download and upload speeds, thus enabling fiber-like service for American consumers.” A separate request for a direct-to-cell constellation was not part of this decision.
When
Friday, Jan 9, 2026, per Broadband Breakfast’s report of the same day. This post is more than 90 days old and is kept as background.
Who is affected
No customer’s plan or referral changes. Over years, more satellites can mean more capacity in areas Starlink currently limits.
What it means for you
Regulatory approvals are the slowest-moving part of Starlink news. This one sets an upper limit on how many Gen2 satellites SpaceX may operate; it doesn’t put any in orbit. For referrers, the practical link is availability: where Starlink has spare capacity, it opens sign-ups and sometimes cuts prices; where it doesn’t, a friend may not be able to order at all.
The referral itself is unaffected. Its rules come from the terms, which SpaceX can change with 30 days’ notice regardless of fleet size.
What to do now
Nothing. A regulatory approval doesn’t change any order page, plan or referral rule.
What stays the same
Plans, prices, the referral reward and the free month.
What we don’t know yet
How quickly the new satellites will be launched, and which US areas will see more capacity first. We couldn’t open the FCC’s own document on our check date and rely on the press report.
How to check it yourself
FCC decisions are published on fcc.gov and in the Commission’s International Communications Filing System under SpaceX’s Gen2 application. Broadband Breakfast’s report of Jan 9, 2026 summarises this one. None of it appears on a Starlink order page; to see what applies to an address, start an order on starlink.com.