Reflect Orbital’s Space Mirror: The FCC Licensed the Radio, Not the Sunlight
Reflect Orbital's Earendil-1 licence was reissued on 9 October. Why the FCC says the mirror itself is beyond its reach, and what…
Topic
FCC
FCC Part 100: What the 7 October Guidance Means for Satellite Milestones and Surety Bonds
FCC Part 100 guidance of 7 October 2026 explains how satellite operators can switch to new milestones, drop surety bonds, and the…
Direct-to-Device Rules: SpaceX’s 15,000-Satellite Licence and the FCC’s Plan to Rewrite SCS
Direct-to-device rules are being rewritten: what SpaceX's 15,000-satellite licence and the FCC's 29 October vote on 13 SCS bands mean for operators.
Regulatory Updates11 min read
11 min
TraCSS and EU SST: What Their Joint Study on Sharing Space Traffic Data Shows
TraCSS and EU SST compared collision warnings for the same satellites. What the 7 October study shows about operator data, FCC rules and TraCSS funding.
Regulatory Updates10 min read
10 min
Upper C-Band Transition: What the FCC’s $6.3 Billion Clearing Plan Means for Satellite Operators
The Upper C-band transition moves satellite downlinks to 4.16-4.2 GHz by 2031. What the FCC order, the 19 October notices and Auction 115 mean for operators.
Regulatory Updates12 min read
12 min
Satellite Spectrum Abundance: The FCC Opens 12.7 and 42 GHz to Satellites and Breaks From the ITU Table
The FCC's satellite spectrum order of 30 September 2026 explained: what opens in the 12.7 and 42 GHz bands, who gains, and the break from the…
Explainers14 min read
14 min
Space Law Cases: The Disputes That Shaped the Field
Space law has little case law of its own, so most of the rules operators rely on were made in ordinary courts. From Cosmos 954 and…
Explainers12 min read
12 min
Kessler Syndrome Explained: How Real Is the Risk?
Kessler syndrome is not the instant chain reaction of the film Gravity. ESA's 2026 data suggests a slow cascade is already under way in some orbits,…
Regulatory Updates13 min read
13 min
The Senate Passed Two Satellite Security Bills in One Day. Only One of Them Has Teeth
On 23 September the US Senate passed the Secure Space Act and the Satellite Cybersecurity Act. One bars the FCC from licensing satellites and earth stations…
Opinion13 min read
13 min
A Robot Tried to Save a NASA Telescope. US Law Still Has No Box for What It Was Doing
Katalyst's attempt to capture and boost NASA's Swift observatory was called off in August. It had every licence US law asks for, and none for the…
Case Notes6 min read
6 min
Dark-Sky Association v FCC: Standing, Starlink and the Categorical Exclusion
An astronomy body got through the courthouse door where a competitor could not, then lost anyway. Read with Viasat, the two decisions make constellation environmental challenges…
Regulatory Updates6 min read
6 min
The FCC Five Year Deorbit Rule: Who It Binds and What It Requires
Twenty five years became five. The scope limits matter more than the headline: below 2,000 km, uncontrolled reentry, launches after 29 September 2024, and non-US operators…