In a first-ever for space junk, Dish Network was fined $150,000 for leaving a retired satellite to orbit indefinitely in the wrong place

Mon, 10/02/2023 - 22:22

space junk debris field earth orbit esa — An illustration of space junk. Satellites and debris are not to scale.
ESA

The FCC announced a settlement with the Dish Network over one of the company's retired satellites.
The agency said Dish left the satellite at the wrong disposal orbit at the end of its mission.
Space junk has become a growing concern as more and more companies send objects to space.

The Federal Communications Commission announced Monday it has fined Dish Network $150,000 for a retired satellite that was left in the wrong place in space as concerns about space trash grow.

The FCC said it was the first enforcement action it's ever taken regarding space debris, or defunct human-made objects that are no longer used but left in space.