Would satellites be destroyed quickly after their time in orbit? US considers new laws

Due to the increasing number of satellites entering Low Earth Orbit and the resulting congestion of the already congested space above Earth, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States will vote this month on significant space debris issues.

To counter the rising risks of orbital debris, the organisation plans to establish new regulations.

The Low Earth Orbit is typically less than 1000 kilometres above Earth, but it can reach as low as 160 kilometres.

The new FCC regulations may shorten the period needed to keep satellites in orbit once their missions are finished, when they must re-enter the atmosphere and burn up.

The new rules will be an update to the 2004 regulations calling for satellite post-mission disposal as soon as practicable but no more than five years.

The American agency now controls LEO satellite operators to guarantee that spacecraft will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere within 25 years after mission completion.

According to Reuters, the new regulations would apply to both foreign satellites seeking entry to the US market as well as US-licensed satellites and systems.

The agency stated that there were 4,800 satellites now in operation in orbit, adding that ‘defunct satellites, abandoned rocket cores, and other trash now clutter the space environment, causing obstacles for future operations.’