For the first time, an American company was fined in the field of space debris

For the first time, the US Federal Communications Commission has fined Dish Network in order to enforce the anti-space debris law.

According to Tekna technology and technology news service, the first fine of the US Federal Communications Commission has been issued based on the anti-space debris law and its violation. Dish Network must pay $150,000 for this fine. Because he could not successfully remove the Ecostar Heft satellite for more than two decades in space, and for that reason he has to pay his fine to the commission.

This company, without taking the satellite out of orbit, has also lost control of it in directing it to the disposal orbit. The satellite is now low enough in orbit to be considered an orbital debris hazard.

The head of the law enforcement office said about it: With the increase in satellite missions and the acceleration of the economy in space, laws are needed to make sure that operators will fulfill their obligations in the future. On the other hand, with this settlement, it can be shown that the Federal Communications Commission has strong executive powers and can implement vital and important laws in the field of space debris.

In 2002, Dish Network Company placed its satellite in the geostationary segment. 10 years later, in the Orbital Debris Reduction Plan, he agreed to place this satellite in a higher orbit with a distance of about 300 km after completing the mission. The higher orbit, called the graveyard orbit, is where the placement of the satellite does not pose a threat to other active satellites.

But this company announced last year that it is not possible to send the satellite to another orbit due to the lack of propulsion. Currently, this satellite is in an orbit at a distance of 122 km above the earth and will be about 178 km away from the target orbit.