erhaps in a bid to placate customers irritated by recent Starlink price hikes, SpaceX is offering more details on its second-generation Starlink satellites, which the company says will feature at least “four times the capacity for serving users compared to its earlier counterparts.”

“This means Starlink can provide more bandwidth with increased reliability and connect millions of more people around the world with high-speed internet,” the company said in a Sunday tweet, which included the first official photos of the so-called “V2” satellites.

According to SpaceX, V2 satellites are designed to provide even faster speeds by incorporating “more powerful phased array antennas” capable of beaming internet data to users on the ground. In addition, the satellites will use the E-band radio spectrum “for backhaul” purposes. SpaceX offered the details days after it increased prices for many Starlink customers across the US. Those living in areas with limited capacity must now pay $120 per month, up from $110. Meanwhile, subscribers residing in areas under capacity only need to pay $90 per month.

The company hasn’t explained why it raised prices, but launching and maintaining a satellite internet network is a pricey endeavor. But the increase comes as speeds for Starlink have been falling for many US subscribers over the past year. The likely culprit: network congestion. The satellite internet system has become oversubscribed across the country, resulting in degraded broadband quality, which has sparked SpaceX to impose a high-speed data cap later this year.

The second-generation Starlink network, which the FCC approved in December, promises to resolve capacity issues facing the system. On Sunday, SpaceX also published a document(Opens in a new window) going over the some of features to the V2 satellites.

SpaceX didn't specify what kind of download and upload speeds can be expected from the V2 hardware. But the company has created two versions of the V2 satellites, one of which can fit on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets. The other satellites will be compatible with the company’s upcoming Starship vehicle, which is slated to kick off its first test launch possible as soon as next month.

“When we launch V2 satellites on Falcon 9, they won’t be the full-size version that are designed to be launched on Starship,” the company explains. “The V2 satellites launched on Falcon 9 are a bit smaller, so we affectionately refer to them as 'V2 Mini' satellites. But don’t let the name fool you, a V2 Mini satellite has four times the capacity for serving users compared to its earlier counterparts.”

V2 satellites also feature new “argon Hall thrusters” —which are over two times more powerful than the earlier thrusters—to help them maneuver in orbit and dodge space junk. In addition, the company has upgraded the satellites' designs to prevent them from reflecting light and disrupting astronomical observations.

“These V2 Mini satellites may be somewhat bright initially, especially during orbit raising and initial operations, but as our track record demonstrates, SpaceX will work tirelessly to refine design/manufacturing/materials and operational mitigations and continue to work with astronomers toward reducing the brightness of our satellites,” the company added.

On Monday, SpaceX plans on holding two launches for Starlink satellites, the first of which will comprise 21 V2 satellites. The other launch will send up 51 satellites for the first-generation Starlink network, which suggests the V2 satellites are significantly heavier than before.

The FCC has cleared the company to launch up to 7,500 satellites for the second-generation Starlink constellation. SpaceX also plans on upgrading satellites in the existing first-gen Starlink network with more powerful hardware to help improve capacity.

By: DocMemory
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