Dish Network in the US asked to pay $150,000 as first-ever penalty for space debris

In its first penalty relating to space debris, the Federal Communications Commission in the United States reached a settlement with Dish Network on Monday. According to the FCC, Dish admitted liability for failing to properly dispose of the EchoStar-7 broadcast communications satellite and agreed to pay a $150,000 fine. As per reports, the FCC described the accord as a “breakthrough settlement” in the increasingly serious world of space debris, which has been exacerbated by governments and corporations sending satellites into orbit at an unprecedented rate. “As satellite operations become more common and the space economy accelerates, we must ensure that operators follow through on their commitments,” said FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Loyaan Egal in a statement. Dish launched the EchoStar-7 satellite in 2002 and intended to decommission it in May 2022. However, Dish discovered a few months earlier that the satellite did not have enough fuel to journey to a disposal point. The business had previously agreed with the FCC on a “orbital debris mitigation plan” to relocate the satellite. Instead of retiring the satellite 300 kilometers from where it was in geostationary orbit, Dish retired it 122 kilometers away, “well short of the disposal orbit,” according to the FCC. Dish Network is yet to respond on the settlement.