Verizon’s communication system for air traffic control has been breaking down rapidly. FAA estimates that it is only a few months away from a catastrophic failure. This puts the safety of air travelers at risk. Starlink terminals will be sent to taxpayers at NO COST in an effort to restore connectivity to air traffic control.
This situation is dire.
Starlink is poised to take over Verizon’s $2.4 billion contract, which would result in faster, more secure, and reliable air traffic services.
Verizon’s system? It’s outdated and costly. Starlink? SpaceX engineers have already started to fix the FAA mess. A 2023 shutdown of the national airspace exposed FAA’s outdated air traffic systems. The FAA’s aging air traffic control systems are at high risk, as 51 out of 138 unsustainable systems, including 17 crucial ones, are over 30 years. Outages can disrupt air travel and endanger safety. They also cause economic losses. The failing Verizon system, worth $2 billion, will worsen the situation in 2023. Modernization projects that have been unfinished for over a decade are increasing failure risk. This is despite the 6.2% increase in air traffic each year. SpaceX Starlink (
According to reports, SpaceX has already begun to work on deploying 4,000 terminals in 12-18 months. It would appear that this initial deployment is being done quickly. This would likely cover installation and testing but not complete operational integration.
Full transition–replacing the entire ATC communication backbone–could take 3-5 years, based on the complexity of FAA systems (138 systems, 51 deemed unsustainable per a December 2024 GAO report) and the need for safety validation. Verizon’s FENS contract originally spanned a period of 15 years to reflect the scope and scale of upgrades. The FAA has confirmed that Starlink is being tested at three sites, including Atlantic City and two in Alaska, since the previous administration.
Since at least the previous administration, The FAA confirmed that Starlink was being tested at three locations (Atlantic City as well as two sites in Alaska), focusing on connectivity at remote areas. It is possible that this was a feasibility study at an early stage, but it wasn’t accompanied by a complete safety assessment.
According to the FAA, it’s had problems relaying accurate weather information to Alaskan pilots for a long time. The FAA said that it has been considering Starlink’s use “since the previous administration”. It will also install terminals in Atlantic City and two other “non safety-critical sites” in Alaska. Elon Musk claims that terminals will be provided for free at first. The long-term costs (maintenance and subscriptions) must be covered. SpaceX Starlink has proven that it is the most secure system. Russia attempted to hack into the Starlink communications provided to Ukraine, but Russia was unsuccessful. Starlink can update its firmware quicker than hackers.
– Risks include outages disrupting air travel, endangering safety, and causing economic…
— XJournalK (@XJournaLK) February 25, 2025.
– Risks can include disruptions to air travel and safety as well as economic effects.
XJournalK, (@XJournaLK), February 25, 2025.
Government Accountability Office Reports (GAO) and FAA Reports.
GAO-24-105073, “Air Traffic Control: urgent FAA actions are needed to modernize aging systems” (December 2020).
The report found that 51 systems (37%) were unsustainable. Another 54 (39%) could be unsustainable. 58 had critical impacts on operations. 17 systems, many of which were over 30 years in age, had been flagged for concern. Modernization was delayed by 10-13 years.
The FAA has 64 ongoing investments to modernize 90 of the 105 systems that are unsustainable or potentially unsustainable. FAA is slow in modernizing the most important and risky systems. In particular, the FAA’s 17 most critical systems were rated as particularly concerning in May 2024 when comparing age, ratings for sustainability, impact levels, and anticipated dates of modernization. These investments to modernize the systems would not be complete for six years. Some of these investments were to take at least 10 yearbefore they would be complete. FAA also did not continue to invest in four of these crucial systems.
Brian Wang, a Futurist and Science Blogger with over 1,000,000 monthly readers is one such Futurist. Nextbigfuture.com, his blog, is the #1 Science News Blog. The blog covers a wide range of disruptive technologies and trends, including Space, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence. It also includes Medicine, Antiaging Biotechnology and Nanotechnology. He is a co-founder of a high-potential early-stage company and a fundraiser.
Recognized for his ability to identify cutting-edge technologies. He is Head of Research for Allocations for Deep Technology Investments and an Angel investor at Space Angels. He is a frequent speaker for corporations. In addition, he was a TEDx Speaker, a Singularity University Speaker, and a guest on numerous radio and podcast interviews. He accepts public speaking engagements and advisory roles.
