What's the story?
- The U.S. government issued the first company fine for leaving space junk in the Earth's orbit.
- The Federal Communications Commission fined Dish Network $150,000 for failing to move an old satellite away from others currently in use. Dish Network agreed to develop a "compliance plan" for its satellite, EchoStar-7.
- The dish was supposed to move 186 miles away from Earth but only got 76 miles before running out of fuel.
- FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyann Egal said:
"As satellite operations become more prevalent and the space economy accelerates, we must be certain that operators comply with their legal commitments. This is a breakthrough settlement, making very clear the FCC has strong enforcement authority and capability to enforce its vitally important space debris rules."
What is space debris?
- Space debris, alternately called space junk, is any piece of machinery or waste left by humans in space. It's estimated that more than 10,000 satellites have been launched into space since 1957 — half of which are inoperable.
- Space debris is often large objects, like expired or failed satellites, or those that have been left in orbit after their mission. It also refers to small items like paint flecks and particles that have shed off rockets and machinery.
- There are 2,000 active satellites orbiting Earth and 3,000 dead ones "littering" space. Scientists have estimated that there are 34,000 pieces of space junk over 10 centimeters in size, and millions of smaller pieces. Space debris poses a risk to satellites in orbit, which can be damaged or destroyed by collisions.
- Bill Nelson from NASA said:
"Even a paint chip… coming in the wrong direction at orbital speed, which is 17,500 miles an hour [could] hit an astronaut doing a spacewalk. That can be fatal."
How do you feel about space debris?
-Jamie Epstein & Emma Kansiz
(Photo credit: iStock/imaginima)
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The FCC fine is part of a plan to manage space junk and avoid Kessler Syndrome where the amount of junk orbiting Earth interferes with satellites, astronauts, and mission planners as space is becoming a crowded place with SpaceX StarLink planning 40,000 satellites, OneWeb 4,000, Amazon Kuiper 3,200 spacecraft, EU Satellite constellation of 170 satellites, and Chinese Guowang 13,000 satellites,
"The FCC's fine is part of a broader effort worldwide to start tackling the space debris problem before it's too late. As of Sept. 12, the European Space Agency estimates that there are over 36,000 pieces of space debris in orbit that are larger than 4 inches (10 centimeters)."
"One company alone, SpaceX, has plans to launch over 40,000 of its Starlink broadband internet satellites in the next ten years. Another satellite internet provider, OneWeb, has plans for 4,000 satellites, while Amazon's Kuiper project envisions a constellation of 3,200 such spacecraft."
"Outside the U.S., the European Union is planning the development of its Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity, and Security by Satellite (IRIS²) constellation, which it hopes to have up and running by 2027. And a Chinese satellite communications project, Guowang, aims for 13,000 total satellites."
"The Kessler Syndrome is a phenomenon in which the amount of junk in orbit around Earth reaches a point where it just creates more and more space debris, causing big problems for satellites, astronauts and mission planners."
"The cloud destroys a number of communications satellites, generating more and more debris with every violent collision. It takes out the iconic Hubble Space Telescope and a NASA space shuttle, killing several crewmembers aboard the winged vehicle. It then lines the International Space Station (ISS) up in its crosshairs, destroying the $100 billion orbiting lab with a hail of fast-flying shrapnel."
https://www.space.com/kessler-syndrome-space-debris
https://www.space.com/space-debris-fcc-first-fine-dish-deorbit-satellite
It's not enough for us (humans) to screw-up earth, now we're screwing up outter space. Glad the US issued this fine. Maybe it will encourage companies who send shit into outter space to clean up their garbage.
We need to stop littering the space around us, and this is just another example of corporate negligence. Any companies or governments that are leaving excessive trash in orbit should have pay to clean it up or pay into some fund for climate relief globally.
Dish Network surely isn't the only one, but we can start with them.
How is it possible for the US government to fine a company over space debris? Space is under international treaty and is not under any country's jurisdiction.
I was always taught to pick up after myself. I believe all companies no matter what they do should not be allowed to create future problems for those that follow.
Companies evidently doing in space what they have done on earth. Untill we hold all companies responsible for their destructive behaviors, we will keep having the same problems.
Not only do we have the responsibility to clean up the planet but now we are faced with the same problem in space. Why can't those responsible for the damage being done be held accountable for the cost of said damage. I don't care if its water, garbage, of any kind, damage to the soil, and the air we breathe. Corporations should PAY FOR THE CLEAN-UP of the damage and be forced to pay double for the cost as well as being fined to the max. We have to think about the future generations before be act.
I believe there are now in the works of space junk removal. See below:
* Astroscale's ELSA-m: This spacecraft is currently under development and is scheduled to launch in 2025. It will use a magnetic grappling system to capture and deorbit small pieces of space junk.
* ClearSpace-1: This spacecraft is also under development and is scheduled to launch in 2025. It will use a four-armed robotic claw to capture and deorbit large pieces of space junk.
* NASA's Active Debris Removal Vehicle (ADRV): This spacecraft is still in the early stages of development, but it has the potential to remove large and massive pieces of space junk from orbit.
That said, I am curious about many spy satellites that may no longer work. Will the countries that own them permit these junk collectors collect these proprietary satellites?
In addition to these spacecraft, there are a number of other companies and organizations working on space junk removal technologies. For example, the European Space Agency (ESA) is developing a spacecraft called ADRAS-J, which is scheduled to launch in 2026. ADRAS-J will use a combination of magnetic and robotic technologies to capture and deorbit space junk.
It will continue to get worse if not managed!
Did nobody think about this junk before they started abandoning it up there ?!
This is a reminder: every time we underestimate the problem of polution it is soon proven to be way worse.
So, first wer pollute the planet, where we all have to live, and now we are experiencing global warming, and the environment is slowly dying. That wasn't enough? Now we're polluting our entire solar system too? Geesh! Someone needs to get on the ball and stop allowing wealthy corporations to do whatever they wish before they destroy us all! Wait! Our SCOTUS ruled that Corporations are People, did they not? Let's start suing them, then, for manslaughter, attempted murder, felony vandilism, etc. They ARE people now, as was ruled! If a neighbor destroyed my yard, I would sue that neighbor! Let's all sue!
everywhere we go, we leave a mess. humans.
Time to quit trashing space.
Huge problem!