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I'm not well-informed on the topic, but why does the FCC regulate who's allowed to launch satellites? Shouldn't there be an international authority for this?

riskable 8y ago
I too was confused by this but it actually makes sense: They did all their testing from the US (and it's a US-based company). Which means they used part of the radio spectrum which is regulated by the FCC which gives the them regulatory authority. NASA (and other space agencies) are OK with their satellites. The FCC is not OK with their use of controlled spectrum in the US.
Cogito 8y ago
It's hard to co-ordinate that kind of thing, so we might see it in the future but I wouldn't hold my breath. The FCC regulates the radio spectrum usage in the US, which means if you want to talk to your satellite you need to get permission from them. They use that to try and make sure everyone in space gets along and don't crash into each other. If the company only ever used base stations not falling under FCC jurisdiction they might have been ok, but my guess is that as long as they were operating in the US they'd probably run into issues trying to get around the FCC.
- ceejayoz 8y ago
  As a US company, even launching an inert block of metal would've still made the US liable for any mishaps they caused (say, by running into another satellite or hitting someone on the ground with it) under the Outer Space Treaty and the Space Liability Convention. Evade the FCC and someone with enforcement powers is still gonna be grumpy.
petre 8y ago
No. The FCC regulates telecomunications between the sats and ground stations in the US. For space there are UN agencies that are responsible and there are several international treaties, agreements and conventions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_law
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dr_orpheus 8y ago
The FCC regulates the spectrum allocation for satellite communications. However, part of getting the approval process involves proving that your satellite will meet the deorbit/disposal requirements. So the FCC has also inherited some of the preventative measures for orbital debris. On an international level, the ITU [1] sets guidelines for spectrum usage and de-orbit. But each country typically has their own regulatory agency depending on where the satellite was built. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Telecommunication_Union https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Telecommunicatio...
unethical_ban 8y ago
Same way we have consortiums for things like radio waves (ITU and such). There is no binding international authority for ANYTHING. The United Nations and WTO don't have bite to match their bark.

riskable 8y ago

I too was confused by this but it actually makes sense: They did all their testing from the US (and it's a US-based company). Which means they used part of the radio spectrum which is regulated by the FCC which gives the them regulatory authority. NASA (and other space agencies) are OK with their satellites. The FCC is not OK with their use of controlled spectrum in the US.

Cogito 8y ago

It's hard to co-ordinate that kind of thing, so we might see it in the future but I wouldn't hold my breath. The FCC regulates the radio spectrum usage in the US, which means if you want to talk to your satellite you need to get permission from them. They use that to try and make sure everyone in space gets along and don't crash into each other. If the company only ever used base stations not falling under FCC jurisdiction they might have been ok, but my guess is that as long as they were operating in the US they'd probably run into issues trying to get around the FCC.

ceejayoz 8y ago
As a US company, even launching an inert block of metal would've still made the US liable for any mishaps they caused (say, by running into another satellite or hitting someone on the ground with it) under the Outer Space Treaty and the Space Liability Convention. Evade the FCC and someone with enforcement powers is still gonna be grumpy.

petre 8y ago

No. The FCC regulates telecomunications between the sats and ground stations in the US. For space there are UN agencies that are responsible and there are several international treaties, agreements and conventions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_law

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dr_orpheus 8y ago

The FCC regulates the spectrum allocation for satellite communications. However, part of getting the approval process involves proving that your satellite will meet the deorbit/disposal requirements. So the FCC has also inherited some of the preventative measures for orbital debris. On an international level, the ITU [1] sets guidelines for spectrum usage and de-orbit. But each country typically has their own regulatory agency depending on where the satellite was built. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Telecommunication_Union https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Telecommunicatio...

unethical_ban 8y ago

Same way we have consortiums for things like radio waves (ITU and such). There is no binding international authority for ANYTHING. The United Nations and WTO don't have bite to match their bark.