Apparently, SpaceX steals the spotlight from competitors who want to travel by rocket
SpaceX started as a company developing reusable rockets, hoping to lower the costs of getting into space. They have succeeded, and many customers – including NASA – now send cargo to space through SpaceX. Additionally, they now operate their own satellite internet service, Starlink. However, Starlink faces competition, although no one has even come close to the success SpaceX has achieved. Amazon, for example, is slowly moving towards launching its own network. These competitors need rockets to launch their satellites into space, and there are not many options besides SpaceX and Rocket Lab from New Zealand. Amazon to send its Kuiper satellites into orbit.
This creates an obvious and potential conflict of interest: SpaceX has something that its competition desperately needs, so what will happen?
According to SpaceX customers, they sometimes have to make concessions, negotiating over spectrum, which is valuable but finite space used to provide internet on the ground. Governments often auction off airwaves for billions of dollars and also mediate between different users to minimize interference.
According to the Journal, in 2022 SpaceX asked its competitor OneWeb to make concessions regarding spectrum usage while negotiating the launch of their satellites. This could mean different things, but satellite companies usually operate within the same frequency range, and SpaceX wanted OneWeb to adjust their operations to minimize interference. OneWeb confirmed they reached an agreement on spectrum, although they stated it was not related to their launch negotiations.
Mediation in Disputes
Another company, Kepler Communications from Canada, hired SpaceX to launch 16 out of 23 satellites into space for a network intended for space communication only. It seems that the Canadian government needed to mediate a dispute over sharing allocated spectrum with SpaceX.
This month, the government added Starlink satellites to the list of foreign satellites permitted to operate in Canada, opening the door for SpaceX to offer its service in the country. Coordination on how airspace will be shared is still needed.
It is unclear what would happen if Kepler or OneWeb had refused to cooperate with SpaceX’s requirements. The Journal notes that internally SpaceX says this would benefit both Starlink and external customers, but satellite companies are hoping for more rocket companies to compete with SpaceX.
As for SpaceX, it is likely that Starlink will have priority in launching satellites into space.
This article has been translated from Gizmodo US by Lucas Handley. You can find the original version here.
