FCC: satellites in low-Earth orbit must fall after 5 years to clean up space

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Originally published at: FCC: satellites in low-Earth orbit must fall after 5 years to clean up space | Boing Boing

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Well, good.

By number, the vast majority of orbiting debris will be the result of collisions or explosions, which are unplanned and so can’t be regulated directly. But this will at least mean most future satellites are removed from orbit before they make the problem any worse.

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marie kondo konmari GIF

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But only those satellites whose owners pay attention to the FCC. The US may be responsible for 50% of the space ‘economy’ but who is going to make the rest (e.g. China) adhere to this?

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Do you want to avoid a Kessler Syndrome? Because this is how you (at least start) to prevent a Kessler Cascade. About time.

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But if they’re throwing it out I can have it, right?

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“Hope is not a plan.”

Shit, I’m in big trouble.

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I assume what the guy was driving at is that in general, it is less friction for satellite operators everywhere to comply with the regulations for the largest market. If Chinese spacecraft don’t comply, there are probably various ways the FCC can irritate them, like preventing them talking to ground stations in the Western hemisphere or whatever. Which of course China could work around, but why make it an issue when they don’t enjoy space debris either?

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We can’t even get companies to design switch mode power supplies that don’t flood the radio spectrum with trash from DC to daylight. It’s not that it’s impossible, it’s just that it’s not profitable. The FCC has no teeth on these matters and Congress won’t give them any, so I expect the same with satellites.

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Knowing you, I bet you already have Sputnik I hanging over your dining room table. /s

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I like the beeping :woman_shrugging:t3:

Art Animation GIF by xponentialdesign

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Will Elon Musk re-flag his satellite clusters under some don’t-give-a-shit nation-state?

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Cue the Space Force anthem

In seriousness, it seems like a huge risk that some country decides to pollute space on purpose to deny access to their enemies. If the FCC can make it a little bit less likely to happen by accident, I’ll take it. Doesn’t have to be perfect.

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Starlink was one of the organisations pressurising the FCC into a lower lifetime for obsolete satellites from 25 to 5 years. The satellites are only in a 550km orbit, so without active thruster intervention they re-enter within 5 years anyway.

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So, you prefer Soviet Minimalism to the decadent sounds of the bourgeois West?

Actually, watching your Sputnik gif while listening to this track is pretty wonderful.

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Who doesn’t…?

But seriously, I do rather like this.

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All I know is I’d avoid this place, were I to see it during my space travels.

1536×1000 375 KB

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Any satellite that wants a license to communicate with ground stations in the US already needs a license from the FCC regardless of who owns and launches it. While some Chinese military and scientific satellites may not have any reason to do so, any future commercial large constellations will probably want licenses to operate in as many places as possible.

It’s likely and desirable that more countries adopt these ore similar rules. The more countries that do, the more incentive for operators to comply with these rules.

Obviously getting China to buy into rules like this would be ideal, but even if they don’t this has the potential to make a big difference in the total quantity of LEO space junk.

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