The Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, has ramped up testing of SpaceX's Starlink satellite-based internet service as the agency hopes to improve the Air Traffic Control System.
What Happened: The agency is currently testing over 41 Starlink connections at facilities across the U.S., Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. The facilities include 2 in New Jersey, 28 in Alaska and over 11 in Oklahoma, the report suggests.
FAA says that it is using the system in Alaska "to restore stable access to weather information for pilots and the FAA's flight services stations." In the Oklahoma and Atlantic City facilities, the FAA could also consider installing wireless technology, the report said.
The agency made the decision as the previous systems experienced outages in the Philadelphia facility, leaving Air traffic control unable to communicate and guide pilots in and out of the Newark Airport in New Jersey, the report suggests.
Why It Matters: The news comes as there has been significant talk over updating the dated ATC technology, with the Trump administration's pick for the FAA administrator, Bryan Bedford, saying that the system needs "significant investment" to improve the technology.
However, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) slammed the Trump administration and Bedford as the senator believes the administration would "prioritize profits over passenger safety" by axing the 1,500 hours of training currently required for aircraft pilots to obtain their license.
The FAA also said it was considering scaling back operations at the Newark airport due to the ATC losing communications with aircraft pilots due to the technology, as well as staff shortages.
Elsewhere, Elon Musk‘s SpaceX could be valued at over $400 billion, as the latest fundraising efforts see the company selling off insider shares. The valuation is reportedly driven by Starlink and the company’s advancements in commercial space flight with its Starship spacecraft.
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