The association is led by David Redl, former head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. Redl addressed the imbalance at a media briefing, saying SpaceConnect represents a market segment where SpaceX is a major player but by no means the only one. The group exists in part because smaller operators believe their interests diverge from SpaceX’s, and that the broader Satellite Industry Association, which spans geostationary and NGSO operators and also counts SpaceX as a non-member, does not give those interests a dedicated voice.
The founding members reflect a particular slice of the market. Amazon is building a constellation marketed as Amazon Leo, with more than 3,200 planned satellites and roughly 370 currently in orbit, and intends to begin commercial broadband service later this year. Iridium operates a global voice and data network. Globalstar provides messaging services and supports basic space-enabled features on Apple’s latest iPhones. Telesat is preparing to launch its NGSO broadband constellation, Lightspeed, aboard SpaceX rockets next year. Telesat’s broadband fleet remains on the ground.
Julie Kearney, who became the first chief of the Federal Communications Commission’s Space Bureau before joining DLA Piper in 2025, serves as general counsel. In the association’s announcement, Kearney said SpaceConnect would work to advance innovation-friendly policies while promoting safe and responsible operations in low Earth orbit. Redl framed NGSO priorities around competition and open market access, which he argued differ from those of established geostationary operators that older trade groups were built to serve.
The technical disputes motivating the group’s formation are concrete. One flashpoint is equivalent power-flux density, the standard governing how much power NGSO satellites can beam down without interfering with geostationary networks. The rules date to the late 1990s, and by the FCC’s own account forced newer constellations to overprotect legacy operators. On April 30, 2026, the commission voted to replace the fixed EPFD limits with a performance-based framework, with the new rules taking effect in July. The contest now turns on implementation, including how protected geostationary reference links are defined, whether aggregate interference from multiple NGSO systems gets capped, and how new good-faith coordination obligations play out for operators with very different fleet sizes.
SpaceConnect says it remains open to SpaceX joining. The structural reality is that SpaceX has little incentive to participate in an association where it would be one vote among several while contributing the overwhelming majority of the segment’s satellites, revenue and lobbying weight. When the company went public on the Nasdaq in June 2026 at a valuation near 1.77 trillion dollars, it became one of the most valuable companies on the market. As Redl framed it, the group’s function is to give the rest of the NGSO field a structure through which to coordinate positions that may run against SpaceX’s preferred outcomes.
The implementation of the new EPFD framework in July and the upcoming World Radiocommunication Conference, held under the auspices of the International Telecommunication Union, will be the immediate arenas where SpaceConnect tests its influence.
