US issues first-ever space debris penalty to satellite company; details here
Update: 2023-10-03
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The US government has issued its first fine to a company that violated its anti-space debris rule. The US Federal Communications Commission has asked Dish Network to pay $150,000 over its failure to de-orbit its EchoStar-7 satellite which has been in space since 2002. Dish Network in 2012 had agreed to an orbital debris mitigation plan that would send its satellite into a 'graveyard orbit' where it would not be a risk to other active satellites.Instead of properly de-orbiting the satellite, Dish sent it into a “disposal orbit” at an altitude low enough to pose orbital debris risk.
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