Dish Network has been slapped with a historic $150,000 fine by the Federal Communications Commission for failing to properly deorbit one of its broadcast satellites, creating orbital debris.
The FCC penalized the popular broadcast satellite provider for improperly disposing of its EchoStar-7 satellite in the agency’s first-ever space-debris enforcement measure.
“As satellite operations become more prevalent and the space economy accelerates, we must be certain that operators comply with their commitments,” FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan A. Egal said in a statement.
“This is a breakthrough settlement, making very clear the FCC has strong enforcement authority and capability to enforce its vitally important space debris rules,” he added.
The satellite was launched into space by DISH in 2002, according to the FCC.
The company filed an orbital mitigation plan that was approved by the agency in 2012, in which Dish agreed to bring the satellite, at the end of its mission, to an altitude of 186 miles above its operational geostationary arc.
DISH projected the satellite would begin de-orbiting in May 2022, however, in February 2022, it learned it had little propellant left, meaning it would not be able to follow its original plan.
“DISH ultimately retired the satellite at a disposal orbit approximately 72 miles above the geostationary arc, well short of the disposal orbit of (186 miles) specified in its orbital debris mitigation plan,” the FCC said.
At the lower altitude, the defunct satellite poses a potential threat to other orbiting objects.
The FCC licenses radio frequencies used by satellites and is in charge of enforcing satellite operators to properly handle their satellite debris, according to Gizmodo.
The agency established a Space Bureau in order to regulate the ballooning satellite industry and space clutter it causes earlier this year.
There are currently 34,580 hunks of space junk being tracked by Space Surveillance Networks, with thousands of other smaller pieces of debris also hazardously floating about, according to the European Space Agency.
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