A third of the time is the interference figure SpaceX put before the FCC this week in a fight over Viasat’s next geostationary satellite. The company filed Aug. 28 to overturn the commission’s approval of Viasat-3 F2, saying the spacecraft would step on Starlink downlinks in the 18.8 to 19.3 GHz band.
F2 is due to begin service next month. US market access arrived in late July with a catch: Viasat first had to settle coordination with low-orbit rivals such as SpaceX. SpaceX says the settlement never came, despite more than half a decade of license conditions demanding it.
SpaceX argues in the filing that coordination was never seriously attempted, and it leans on Viasat’s own modeling to back the claim that F2 would degrade Starlink reception about one time in three. The petition carries the signature of David Goldman, the company’s vice president of satellite policy.
Amazon’s Project Leo lodged a similar complaint in November, arguing Viasat’s technical work does not prove its bird will protect other systems in the shared bands. The FCC’s grant already orders Viasat to stay out of the disputed spectrum until it demonstrates compliance.
The standoff pits a legacy GEO operator against the new LEO constellations over spectrum both claim. Viasat, losing customers to Starlink, declined to comment. The FCC now weighs SpaceX’s petition against Viasat’s plan to switch F2 on next month.
