SpaceX has secured US regulatory approval to let Starlink user terminals connect with satellites at lower elevation angles, a change the company says should improve coverage and connection performance across parts of its network.
Under the revised parameters, Starlink terminals can now connect at a minimum elevation angle of 20 degrees for satellites operating between 400km and 500km in altitude, down from the previous 25-degree limit. For some operations below 400km, the approved floor is 10 degrees, while satellites above 500km remain subject to a 25-degree minimum.
The lower angle matters because it allows a satellite to stay in contact with a user terminal for longer as it moves across the sky. SpaceX told regulators that the adjustment would strengthen customer connectivity by enabling satellites to link directly with more earth stations and maintain those links for a longer period while passing overhead.
The approval forms part of a broader modification to SpaceX’s second-generation Starlink system. In its filing, the company argued that the changes would improve coverage, quality, reliability and sustainability without creating unacceptable interference for other operators or increasing orbital debris risks.
Regulators also linked parts of the wider approval to higher-capacity broadband goals, saying the updated framework would help SpaceX use additional frequency resources to deliver more capacity and faster speeds, especially in underserved areas.
Starlink has already operated with lower elevation angles in some northern latitude areas under earlier temporary authority. In one such authorisation, SpaceX was allowed to continue communications at 10 degrees above 53 degrees latitude, rather than the standard 25-degree threshold.
The latest clearance suggests SpaceX is moving to apply more flexible signal-tracking rules across a wider portion of the Starlink network as it pushes to expand capacity and improve service consistency for users on the ground.
