For the first time in history, US officials fined a company for space debris. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) fined TV provider Dish $150,000 for “failing to properly deorbit” the EchoStar-7 satellite, which was launched in 2002. Information published Web site FCC.
“This is the first time that the Commission has taken measures to ensure compliance with space debris requirements,” the ministry said.
Dish promised in 2012 to lift EchoStar-7 300 km above its current orbit, according to the FCC. However, the device only had enough fuel to travel 120 km.
The commission called the incident a “groundbreaking” decision that showed government officials had the authority to deal with space debris.
The European Space Agency (ESA) estimates that there are about a million pieces of debris orbiting Earth larger than a centimeter, large enough to cripple a spacecraft.
Satellites are now critical for navigation, broadband communications and banking data, and collisions in orbit pose a serious threat to Earth, ESA said.
Previous scientists warned About the risk of large-scale accidents in orbit due to the increasing number of spacecraft.