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They should also be fined for leaving the terrestrial dishes all over the place when the connection is abandoned.
I wonder how much trash SpaceX has contributed
They’ve been pretty good at deorbiting their junk. Upper stages are put in a parking orbit and passivated when deorbiting is unpractical.
40 years ago, everyone would just leave the leftover fuel in the tanks of spent upper stages. That could build up pressure and cause the tanks to explode, producing large amounts of debris.
Hell, Telstar 1 was the first ever communications satellite, launched in 1962 and nonfunctional for over 60 years, yet it’s still orbiting the Earth!
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Dish Network has to pay $150,000 to the commission over its failure to de-orbit its EchoStar-7 satellite which has been in space for more than two decades.
“As satellite operations become more prevalent and the space economy accelerates, we must be certain that operators comply with their commitments,” said Enforcement bureau chief Loyaan A Egal, in the statement announcing the Dish settlement.
“This is a breakthrough settlement, making very clear the FCC has strong enforcement authority and capability to enforce its vitally important space debris rules.”
In 2002, Dish launched the satellite into geostationary orbit – a field of space that begins 22,000 miles (36,000km) above Earth.
They say that the more old material that stays in orbit, the harder it is for incoming satellites to start and complete new missions.
“Right now there are thousands of metric tons of orbital debris in the air above – and it is going to grow,” FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel said in a 2022 statement that accompanied the announcement of the rule.
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