US authorities have dished out the first-ever fine for a company not clearing up its space junk.
Dish Network (NASDAQ:DISH), the US owner of the direct-broadcast satellite provider Dish, was fined US$150,000 by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The FCC said Dish has failed to properly de-orbit its EchoStar-7 satellite after it was decommissioned following over 20 years in orbit.
Dish directed its satellite into a low "disposal orbit", which was much lower than the required orbit under the terms of its license and in which "it could pose orbital debris concerns", the watchdog said.
With more and more large and startup companies launching satellites into high and low-Earth orbits, regulators in recent years have introduced debris rules to try and limit the danger to new launches.
“As satellite operations become more prevalent and the space economy accelerates, we must be certain that operators comply with their commitments,” said FCC Enforcement Bureau chief Loyaan A Egal.
“This is a breakthrough settlement, making very clear the FCC has strong enforcement authority and capability to enforce its vitally important space debris rules.”
The FCC said that DISH, which launched the satellite in 2002, had its "orbital debris mitigation plan" approved in 2012, where the company committed to bringing the satellite at the end of its mission to an altitude of 300km above its operational geostationary arc.
The satellite’s end-of-mission deorbit maneuvers were expected to take place in May 2022, but earlier that year, DISH calculated that the satellite did not have enough remaining propellant to follow the original orbital debris mitigation plan.
"DISH ultimately retired the satellite at a disposal orbit approximately 122 km above the geostationary arc, well short of the disposal orbit of 300 km specified in its orbital debris mitigation plan," the Commission said.
Last year the Commission brought new rules into effect requiring satellite operators in low-Earth orbit to dispose of their satellites within five years of completing their missions, shortening the previous 25-year guideline for deorbiting satellites post-mission.
Shares of Dish fell dropped 6.7% Tuesday afternoon to $5.22.