Satellite TV provider Dish Network was fined $150,000 for improperly disposing of one of its satellites in space — making it the first company to be issued a space debris penalty by the U.S. government.
The Federal Communications Commission announced Monday that it had settled an investigation into the company for failing to properly deorbit its retired EchoStar-7 satellite.
“This marks a first in space debris enforcement by the Commission, which has stepped up its satellite policy efforts,” the FCC stated.
Why did the FCC fine Dish Network?
The satellite was launched in 2002, and once it was nearly out of propellant in 2022, Dish decided to retire the satellite. However, in disposing of the satellite, Dish relocated the satellite to “a disposal orbit well below the elevation required by the terms of its license,” the FCC claims.
In a statement to CNN, Dish stated that the satellite “had been explicitly exempted from the FCC’s rule requiring a minimum disposal orbit.”
Dish also claims that the FCC did not state that the satellite “poses any orbital debris safety concerns.”
Why the FCC is cracking down on space debris
As more companies send objects to space — and more dispose of older objects — space junk has become a growing concern for the FCC.
“As satellite operations become more prevalent and the space economy accelerates, we must be certain that operators comply with their commitments,” said the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan A. Egal. “This is a breakthrough settlement, making very clear the FCC has strong enforcement authority and capability to enforce its vitally important space debris rules.”
Space debris poses a risk to other satellites because the debris can collide with other satellites.
The European Space Agency estimates that there are over 170 million space debris objects larger than 1 millimeter in Earth’s orbit.
“Any of these objects can cause harm to an operational spacecraft,” according to the ESA.