Not every company gets to make its way into the history books. Those that do can enter it in one of two ways that can basically be summed up as “good” or “bad.” Earlier this week, Dish Network is now part of that history, and not in the good way. They’ll now go down in history as the first company to be fined by the FCC for space debris.
Dish Network has long been a satellite television provider, one of the largest in the United States. In 2002 they launched their satellite, EchoStar-7. Obviously you can’t just launch satellites into orbit without their being some sort of plan with the government; in this case with the FCC. EchoStar-7 was supposed to be retired in February of 2022 and since a defunct satellite just can’t stay in orbit, taking up space above the Earth, it has to be disposed of. A company can choose to have the satellite come back down to the planet at a designated crash point, or it can be deposited higher into space into “junk orbit.” According to the FCC, Dish Network did neither of these things, so they’re being fined.
In a settlement that was reached on October 2nd, Dish Network agreed to pay $150,000 along with (and admission to) liability regarding the disposal of EchoStar-7. According to the company, they intended to deposit the satellite in an orbit of 300 km above the Earth, but didn’t have enough fuel to get it there. Ultimately the satellite is short of the junk orbit by about 122 km. Dish rebutted the charges, claiming that at the time of the launch, the satellite was exempt from the rules of disposal and that the satellite poses no debris threat.
Whether the FCC disagrees with the idea that the satellite isn’t a threat or if it’s just trying to set a precedent, the end result is the same for Dish Network. The threat of space debris is a problem, especially as more and more vessels are entering into space. Whether it be satellites, private space shuttles, NASA missions, or expeditions from other governments, things are invariably going to be left behind that pose a threat to other objects in space, or to something at ground level.
Or, basically if you want to put things another way; clean up your space garbage or pay the fine for littering.
