SpaceX is conducting Starlink tests in Romania to improve services. Starlink tests started in July and are expected to last 6 months. SpaceX is working on the project with Romania’s National Authority for Administration and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM).
SpaceX’s Starlink tests in Romania aim to demonstrate that a global rule, the limits of non-geostationary satellites like Starlink, can be relaxed. The rule dates back to the 1990s and was set to ensure that new-generation, non-geostationary satellites don’t affect the operation of classic, geostationary satellites. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU)—a United Nations agency—developed and imposes the global rule.
The ITU’s rule limits the power low-orbit satellites like Starlink can transmit to and from ground equipment. The limit is called the Equivalent Power Flux Density (EPFD).
Earlier this year, SpaceX sent a letter to the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urging it to revise its satellite rules, referring to the EPFD limit.
“The time has come to unleash the power of next-generation satellite systems to connect the American people in every corner of the country by revising antiquated power restrictions to match the modern space age,” wrote SpaceX in the letter.
In a recent X post, Elon Musk addressed SpaceX’s issue with the EPFD limit.
“The rule should be that Starlink can operate at whatever power level does not disrupt other communication systems, not some arbitrarily low power limit.”
This is really important.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 1, 2024
The rule should be that Starlink can operate at whatever power level does not disrupt other communication systems, not some arbitrarily low power limit!
Read SpaceX’s letter to the FCC below!
SpaceX Starlink Tests in Romania 2024 by Maria Merano on Scribd
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