Well, this is new. I never knew we were even close to the stage in history where we regulate space debris, but I guess time flies when you're having fun.
Yeah dude, the future is here and the FCC is now handing out fines to companies for failing to properly deorbit satellites.
The Federal Communications Commission said it has issued a space debris enforcement action for the first time ever by imposing a fine of $150,000 on Dish for failing to properly deorbit a TV satellite.
"To settle this matter, Dish admits that it failed to operate the EchoStar-7 satellite in accordance with its authorization, will implement a compliance plan, and will pay a $150,000 civil penalty," the FCC said in an order issued yesterday. The FCC said the action is "a first in space debris enforcement" and part of its increased focus on satellite policy that included the establishment of a Space Bureau.
$150,000!!!!
That's a huge chunk of space change!
Here's the scoop:
In February 2022, Dish "determined that the EchoStar-7 satellite was unexpectedly running low on propellant and would need to be deorbited shortly," the consent decree said. "On the same day, Company personnel called International Bureau staff to alert the Commission about the possibility that the satellite might no longer be capable of executing its end-of-life disposal plan as authorized."
In May 2022, Dish notified the FCC that it "had completed end-of-life deorbit maneuvers and surrendered its license for the EchoStar-7 satellite." But the satellite was "placed in a disposal orbit approximately 122 km above the geostationary arc, short of the disposal orbit of 300 km specified in its orbital debris mitigation plan."
Geostationary orbits are about 36,000 km above the planet. Dish admitted that EchoStar-7 didn't have enough propellant to travel to the required disposal orbit further away from Earth. Also known as graveyard orbits, disposal orbits for geostationary satellites have higher altitudes to limit the chances of colliding with other spacecraft.
So essentially they weren't able to make it up high enough to drop this bad boy into the "graveyard" so now it runs the risk of colliding with other spacecraft in its deceased state, which could be quite costly.
So I guess $150,000 isn't that bad of a fine after all.
A little more context for ya:
While yesterday's fine relates to a geostationary satellite, an ongoing surge in satellite launches is occurring in low-Earth orbits (LEO). SpaceX's Starlink broadband division has over 4,800 satellites in orbit and has deorbited another 358.
Satellite disposal is handled much differently in low-Earth orbits. Upon deorbiting, Starlink satellites burn up when they reenter the atmosphere. When they're still operating, the satellites perform collision-avoidance maneuvers to prevent crashes and limit space debris.
Now that's a deorbiting technique I can get excited about!
I'm sure the FCC will find a way to start fining SpaceX here shortly as well. There's got to be something they can nail our government's least-favorite CEO for.
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