US issues first-ever fine for space junk after TV company leaves satellite in the wrong place

US authorities have issued the first-ever fine for space debris to a TV company that failed to properly dispose of a satellite, officials said on Monday (2 October). 

Dish Network was fined €142,440 for "failing to properly deorbit" a satellite named EchoStar-7, which has been in space since 2002, according to a statement from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

"This marks a first in space debris enforcement by the Commission, which has stepped up its satellite policy efforts," the FCC added.

Dish was fined after it moved the satellite to a lower altitude than had been agreed at the end of its operational life which the FCC said "could pose orbital debris concerns".

In 2002, the satellite was launched into geostationary orbit which begins at around 36,000 km above Earth.

In 2012, as it came to the end of its operational life,  Dish committed to raising the satellite's altitude to 300 km above its operational trajectory. This would have moved it into a "graveyard orbit" where it wouldn't be a danger to other satellites.  

But with fuel levels falling, the company limited itself to bringing its satellite to an altitude just over 120km above geostationary orbit - 178km from where it should have been. 

This is a breakthrough settlement, making very clear the FCC has strong enforcement authority and capability to enforce its vitally important space debris rules.

The settlement reached by the FCC and the company "includes an admission of liability from the company and an agreement to adhere to a compliance plan and pay a penalty of $150,000".

Dish did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The European Space Agency estimates that there are more than a million pieces of debris larger than a centimetre in Earth's