Pay TV company Dish Network was fined US$150,000 (R$775,000) in the US for failing to properly dispose of one of its satellites. This is the first time that a company on American soil has received a penalty from a federal regulatory body for mismanagement of space debris in Earth orbit.
According to information from the American broadcaster CNN, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the body responsible for authorizing satellite telecommunications services in the USA, announced this Monday (2) that it has closed an investigation into Dish, resulting in a fine and an “acknowledgment of responsibility” on the part of the company.
The FCC’s investigation into Dish centered on a satellite called EchoStar-7, which was launched into geostationary orbit at a distance of about 22,000 miles above Earth in 2002.
In a statement released to the press, the FCC stated that the measure is “a milestone in the enforcement of space debris rules” and that it helps the agency “intensify” its “satellite policy efforts.”
Dish responded in a statement that the satellite in question was “an older spacecraft that had been explicitly exempted from the FCC rule requiring a minimum orbit for disposal.”
According to CNN, it is estimated that there are currently almost 700,000 pieces of uncontrolled space junk in Earth’s orbit.
In its defense, Dish said it has a “long history of safely operating a large fleet of satellites and takes its responsibilities as an FCC licensee seriously.”
The FCC’s plan to decommission Dish’s satellite was approved in 2012. It consisted of ensuring that it “retired” about 300 kilometers above its operational orbit, which would essentially render it inoperative in an orbit where it would not pose any risks. to other satellites that are still active.
However, according to the FCC, Dish did not leave enough fuel on board the satellite to carry out this maneuver, and EchoStar-7 was left “dead” in an orbit where it could pose a danger to satellites that are still being used.
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