U.S. agency adopts new space junk rules to reduce exploration risks

On Sept. 29, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted 4 to 0 to reduce the time it takes to remove defunct satellites to address the growing risk of orbital debris in space exploration. adopted new rules for

The FCC has voted to decommission low-Earth orbit satellites after their missions have ended within five years. Government agencies have previously recommended operators of low-Earth orbit satellites to ensure their spacecraft can re-enter Earth’s atmosphere within 25 years of her.

FCC Chairman Jessica Rosenworcel said: “This means greater accountability, less risk of collisions, and a greater chance of orbital debris and space communications failures.

U.S. telecommunications regulators point out that of the 10,000 satellites deployed since 1957, more than half are non-functional.

Noting that more than 4,800 satellites were in orbit at the end of last year, the FCC noted that “defunct satellites, discarded rocket cores and other debris currently litter the space environment. , posing challenges for current and future missions, the majority of which are commercial low earth orbit satellites.

“The second space age has arrived. For it to continue to grow, we need to do more to clean up after ourselves so space innovation can keep up.” said Rosenworcel.

NASA has funded some academic research on space debris, and a bipartisan group of senators has introduced legislation to “revitalize the development of debris removal technology in the United States,” says FCC Commissioner Jeffrey.・ Starks pointed out.

He said the new rules “will bend the curve of debris diffusion and reduce collisions, freeing up resources to try to avoid collisions.”

“Without a secure operating environment, debris risk could escalate from a financial afterthought to a peril that would force investors to think twice, driving up permitting costs and increasing the cost of new investments,” Starks said. It could complicate operations in ways that slow or limit space efforts.”

Reported by David Shepardson.Edited by Hugh Lawson

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