A new policy from the Federal Communications Commission aims to reduce littering in space.
The agency voted 4-0 on Thursday to adopt new rules requiring satellite operators orbiting close to Earth to remove their satellites within five years of completing their missions. The adoption of the rules shaves off 20 years from the previous guideline and establishes “more accountability and less risk of costly collisions,” the FCC announced.
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“We’re shortening the period for satellites in low Earth orbit from 25 years to five years to care for our skies in order to promote strength and sustainability in the space economy,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said.
Today the @FCC’s taking the next step in our Space Innovation agenda. We’re shortening the period for satellites in low-Earth orbit from 25 years to 5 years, to care for our skies in order to promote strength and sustainability in the space economy. https://t.co/ZoGRpgmX6O
— Jessica Rosenworcel (@JRosenworcelFCC) September 29, 2022
Under the new Report and Order policy, operators with satellites ending their mission in or passing through the low Earth orbit region, which is below 2,000 kilometers altitude, to de-orbit as soon as possible or within five years. A transition period of two years will also be allowed under this policy, according to the agency.
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The FCC said there were over 4,800 satellites operating in Earth’s orbit as of the end of 2021, and the majority of these are commercial low Earth orbit satellites.
The adoption of this new rule comes only a few days after NASA enacted its Double Asteroid Redirection Test, which involved ramming a spacecraft into an asteroid as a means to test if the Earth can be protected from an incoming projectile from space. Photos of the collision were released on Tuesday, with more expected to come in the future.
