For the first time an American company is fined for leaving waste in space

US authorities have imposed a fine, the first of its kind, on a television satellite operator for abandoning waste in space, the US telecommunications regulator announced.

The operator Dish was fined $150,000 (142,440 euros) for not having “properly deorbited” a satellite called EchoStar-7, in orbit since 2002, according to a statement from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The space economy is accelerating

According to the FCC, Dish had not respected the altitude agreed upon with the Commission to place its geostationary satellite that was reaching the end of its life. This altitude, lower than agreed, “could pose problems with orbital debris.”

Dish committed in 2012 to raising the satellite’s altitude to 300 km above its operational trajectory, explains the FCC. But with fuel levels falling, the company limited itself to taking its satellite to an altitude just over 120 kilometers above its trajectory.

He called this decision a “breakthrough,” in which the FCC shows “very clearly” its authority and “its ability to implement its vital space debris rules.”

An acknowledgment of responsibility

The agreement reached by the FCC and the company “includes an admission of liability by the company and an agreement to follow a compliance plan, as well as the payment of a fine of $150,000.” Dish did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

There are half a million pieces of debris the size of a marble and a hundred million that measure around a millimeter, according to a specialized UN agency. This debris is potentially hazardous to spacecraft.

In December 2022, a Soyuz MS-22 capsule docked to the International Space Station (ISS) was damaged by the impact of a small meteorite. A Chinese satellite was grazed in early 2022 by debris from a Russian satellite destroyed the previous year during an “extremely dangerous” incident, according to Beijing. Of the 14,000 satellites in orbit, about 35% have been launched in the last three years and another 100,000 are expected in the next decade, according to the UN.