FCC application docket:
SpaceX has officially requested FCC approval to launch and operate a third-generation satellite constellation of 100,000 satellites, designed to power human connectivity and AI-fueled progress.
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) July 7, 2026
"The artificial intelligence revolution promises a supersonic tsunami of progress… pic.twitter.com/lG3d21zdHg
Speaking of this, I have access to a private version of “FlightAware”. A graphical representation of airplanes within about 300 miles. Looking via it this morning I found something very unusual. Over North East Pennsylvania there was a balloon moseying along at 8 to 12 miles an hour at an altitude of 65,000 feet!
That’s above all commercial aircraft.
Here is a screen grab of what was seen on the commercially available website at https://www.flightaware.com/live/
And here is the flight path, also a screen grab, via the commercial site:
This next view is from the private access “Flight Aware”, It’s a little bit easier to see as well as the altitude to the right.
This is the final screen grab as it went out of the range of my local access Flight Aware
Project Loon was supposed to have ended, but it seems they are still experimenting with it:
The balloon is still visible on the commercial version about in the middle of Pennsylvania West-Southwest of the UNV (State College Regional Airport). Traveling Westward at 9 miles an hour at an altitude of 65,000 feet.
By way of ongoing progress report, I can say that even with soon to be obsolete satellites, my Starlink reception remains perfect for these first three months. Two days ago, we had several hours of rain, thunder and lightning. We streamed over our large screen TV the entire time without a displaced pixel. Though the Starlink “statistics” I checked later showed reduced weather-related reception for 24 minutes, whatever buffering (and maybe other clever tricks) is used gave us literally perfect picture/sound all afternoon. Color me impressed.
