The amount of space trash orbiting the Earth is increasing. Old rocket components and decommissioned satellites are rapidly orbiting our planet, posing a threat to operational satellites providing crucial services and astronauts onboard the International Space Station and China’s own orbital station.
The predicament is exacerbated when the space debris collides, forcing it to shatter into smaller, equally dangerous bits. While we continue to look for effective ways to remove debris from low-Earth orbit, the US government has begun fining corporations that fail to take responsibility for machinery left in orbit. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has punished Dish Network with a $150,000 punishment, the first of its type in the United States, for failing to transfer its defunct satellite safely out of the way of working ones, reports Technology News UK.
Dish Network admitted accountability for the condition of its EchoStar-7 satellite and agreed to an FCC compliance plan. EchoStar-7 was launched in 2002 and was in a geostationary orbit 22,000 miles (35,000 kilometres) above Earth. The satellite was meant to be relocated 186 miles (300 kilometres) away from our planet when it was deactivated in 2022, but it ran out of fuel and was only moved 76 miles (122 kilometres). Dish Network violated the rules of its FCC license due to its inability to carry out the agreed-upon manoeuvre, resulting in penalties.
“As satellite operations become more common and the space economy accelerates, we must ensure that operators follow through on their commitments,” said FCC Enforcement Bureau chief Loyaan Egal in a statement.