In the first U.S. space penalty of its kind for an abandoned satellite, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) fined Dish Network $150,000 for violating space debris control rules by failing to properly dispose of decommissioned satellites after their mission.
Space junk is a growing problem for the agency because the more old material there is in orbit, the harder it will be for upcoming satellites to launch and complete new missions.
The Federal Communications Commission issued a rule in 2022 requiring satellite operators to dispose of their satellites within five years of the end of their missions.
This is the first penalty of its kind imposed by the US Federal Communications Commission to address the growing problem of space debris.
There is an increased risk of collision between decommissioned satellites and operational satellites, especially at low altitudes. Debris in orbit moves at thousands of kilometers per hour, so even millimeter-sized fragments can pose a serious threat.
Dish Network launched the EchoStar-7 satellite in 2002 and decommissioned it in May 2022. The company and the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) agreed on a plan in 2012 to phase out the satellite and remove debris from its orbit, but it ran out of fuel sooner than expected. Expectedly.
The company had planned to direct the satellite to a specific graveyard orbit, about 300 kilometers from its deployment site, so that it would not pose a threat to other active satellites.
The company realized in February 2022 that the fuel was too weak to carry out the plan and that the satellite would not have enough fuel to travel to its intended destination. EchoStar-7 reached an altitude of only about 122 kilometers before leaving the Moon. There is an industry there.
The FCC called the penalty a successful settlement after the company admitted wrongdoing and agreed to pay a $150,000 fine, serving as a warning to other companies amid the rapid increase in the number of commercial near-Earth Orbit satellites.
Last year, about 10,000 tons of waste orbited the Earth, and even as companies like SpaceX race to launch thousands of satellites, the problem is getting worse.
“As satellite operations become more widespread and the space economy accelerates, we must have confidence that operators will meet their obligations, and this agreement demonstrates the Commission’s strong authority and ability to enforce its rules on space debris,” the FCC said in a statement. . Rules." Statement.