The frequency re-use is a factor of steering angle. Take these two spot beams, and the cells that they cover. The left side is a beam almost at nadir, the right side is close to maximum steering angle. Any hexagonal cell inside the beam’s footprint cannot be covered by another beam (from same or other satellite), as the overlap would violate the restrictions on Starlink’s license:
The hex cells are Uber’s H3, so while close to Starlink’s not the same - for the purpose of illustrating the issue, they are good enough. The spot beam size and shape is 100% accurate, as it is taken from the FCC filings - here is the representation of four different steering angles:
It is obvious that the higher the constellation density, the more tight spot beams you have available, increasing re-use considerably. A bonus advantage is you have way less chances of obstructions if you are using satellites almost directly overhead.
The hex cells are Uber’s H3, so while close to Starlink’s not the same - for the purpose of illustrating the issue, they are good enough. The spot beam size and shape is 100% accurate, as it is taken from the FCC filings - here is the representation of four different steering angles:
It is obvious that the higher the constellation density, the more tight spot beams you have available, increasing re-use considerably. A bonus advantage is you have way less chances of obstructions if you are using satellites almost directly overhead.