Dish Network Receives Historic Fine from US Authorities for Space Debris

The US government has issued its first ever fine to a company for leaving space debris in orbit around the Earth. Dish Network has been fined $150,000 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for failing to move an old satellite far enough away from other satellites in use. The company, which admitted liability over its EchoStar-7 satellite, has agreed to a compliance plan with the FCC. Space debris, also known as space junk, consists of old satellites and parts of spacecraft that are no longer in use. It poses a risk of collisions in orbit. Dish's EchoStar-7 satellite was in geostationary orbit, starting at 22,000 miles above the Earth's surface. According to the FCC, the satellite posed a potential risk to other satellites at its current altitude. Dish was supposed to move the satellite 186 miles further from Earth, but by 2022, at the end of its life, it had only moved it 76 miles after losing fuel. Loyaan Egal, the FCC enforcement bureau chief, emphasized the importance of operators complying with their commitments in an increasingly prevalent satellite operations and accelerating space economy. Egal referred to the settlement as a breakthrough that highlights the FCC's strong enforcement authority and capability to enforce space debris rules. The $150,000 fine constitutes a small fraction of Dish's total revenue, which was $16.7 billion in 2022. Dr Megan Argo, a senior lecturer in astrophysics at the University of Central Lancashire, expressed concern over the growing number of objects in orbit and the risk of collisions, which create high-speed debris. This debris could potentially strike other satellites, leading to a cascade effect. Since the first satellite launch in 1957, over 10,000 satellites have been sent into space, with more than half of them now defunct. NASA estimates that there are over 25,000 pieces of space debris measuring over 10cm long. In July, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson highlighted the significant problem of space junk, necessitating the movement of the International Space Station to avoid passing debris. He warned that even a paint chip could be fatal if it collided with an astronaut performing a spacewalk due to orbital speed.