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OCTOBER 2023

OCTOBER 2023
ACSP NEWSLETTER

Editor-in-Chief: Will Lewis
Managing Editor: Morgan McKelvey

THE ACSP NEWSLETTER TURNS ONE

It’s been a wonderful first year, and the ACSP team would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our readership for your steadfast support. We are proud to provide you with insightful and meaningful content to keep you on the cutting edge of developments and changes within the commercial space sector. If you have enjoyed this publication, please consider donating. Your generosity makes it possible to maintain a high quality (and entirely free) newsletter that matters to you.
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NOAA

NOAA Study Discovers Elemental Remains of Disposed Spacecraft in Stratosphere

  • A NOAA study recently determined that there are unexpected elements in the stratosphere that may be connected to deorbiting spacecraft and launch vehicles. NOAA has ruled out the possibility that the presence of these elements may be due to natural space objects and the study concludes that “These elements are mostly present in the stratosphere only because of the disposal of space debris into the atmosphere.”
  • Why it matters to you: Nearly all LEO missions eventually burn up in the atmosphere. The FCC is actively encouraging operators to design their missions to de-orbit and to do so quickly. The study doesn’t determine the potential effect of these elements but expects the presence of these metals to increase as time goes on. This could change the posture on space safety in a hurry and its notable that Viasat made very similar arguments before the FCC and eventually in court not so long ago. In other words, some industry stakeholders may be motivated to revisit this issue.

SPACE DIPLOMACY

White house announces Space-Centered Strategic Agreement with Australia

  • The White House and the Australian prime minster recently announced a new joint initiative and telling, the agreement on space was a headline issue. This included the signing of a new Technology Safeguards Agreement that will allow for U.S. made rockets to launch from Australia.
  • Why it matters to you: The new TSA could lead to an expansion in a launch market that is currently bottlenecked. It also creates a new market for companies involved in the launch business. But it is also worth noting that this agreement paves the way for Australia to eventually have sovereign launch capabilities, a goal of many nations with serious ambitions in space. This gives Australia an important strategic advantage over many other nations that could advance its space economy, but also increases Australia’s reliance on the U.S. space industry.

U.S. Strengthens Ties with India, Discusses Space Safety with China

  • The Space Force signed development agreements with two India start ups that are developing technologies related to space situational awareness. In parallel, leadership from the Office of Space Commerce met with Chinese officials to discuss space situational awareness data. The OSC has previously expressed concern about different nations relying on different, distinct data sets for space safety.
  • Why it matters to you: The different prongs of the U.S. government continue to pursue diplomatic solutions to the growing need for a global space situational awareness network where nation states make decisions based on aligned information and clear channels of communication. Bringing foreign, private sector stakeholders into the fold is a meaningful way to secure buy-in, as is keeping lines of communication open with countries that are not especially aligned with the U.S. geopolitically in space or otherwise.

ITU AND WORLD RADIO CONFERENCE-23

Lunar Spectrum Use on the Agenda for WRC-23

  • The World Radio Conference, which starts this November, will start to consider Lunar spectrum matters. The WRC builds global consensus on spectrum matters and then promulgates its radio regulations, which are recommendations on spectrum policy that much of the globe follows. The issues under consideration are how to protect radio astronomy services on the dark side of the moon and whether to allocate spectrum on the moon for space exploration.
  • Why it matters to you: Any company or government with cislunar or lunar aspirations should monitor these developments, as should antenna vendors for these lunar stakeholders. These discussions and any studies done between WRC-23 and the next WRC in 2027 could have long term implications for communications on and around the moon. It will also be worth monitoring how the FCC and other regulators around the world handle commercial applications to use spectrum on the moon.

FCC

FCC Announces Transparency Initiative

  • The FCC recently announced it will undertake a transparency initiative to clarify its regulations for potential applicants. The FCC will be holding an open house on November one and has sought questions from the industry.
  • Why it matters to you: Many stakeholders, both new and old, have come upon FCC rules or policies that raise questions as to what information is necessary and to what end. This is a chance for companies that hold or may seek to hold FCC authorizations to better understand their obligations under the rules or how to proceed with novel space missions. This is a particularly ripe time for such an initiative as the Commission has just released a number of important decisions that may require further clarity.

FCC Fines Dish for Failure to Adhere to Post-Mission Requirements

  • The FCC fined Dish Networks $150,000 for failing to decommission one of its satellites in accordance with its FCC license. Dish was unable to comply with its requirements due to the satellite running out of fuel and informed the Commission of the non-compliance. This is the first time the FCC has fined an operator for not complying with its orbital debris mitigation rules.
  • Why it matters to you: Much has been made of this decision, but from this newsletter’s perspective the importance of this decision is that the Commission fined Dish for failing to comply with a condition of its license, not due to failing to comply with the FCC’s rules. This is an important reminder to be aware of your company’s grant conditions and ensure that your spacecraft or earth station can comply with them.

SEE US IN PERSON

If you’re attending Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) SpaceVision 2023: Parallax, be sure to pay us a visit during the Career Fair. Director of Ops Morgan McKelvey will be giving out Student Survival Guides and ACSP swag. Additionally, visitors to the booth will receive a special discount code to use toward attendance at our next Bootcamp, coming to Albuquerque in March 2024.