The office in charge of giving licenses to companies with space cameras is thinking if it should fix a possible problem with how companies follow rules for getting rid of space junk.
The part of the Office of Space Commerce that deals with rules for commercial space cameras will formally ask for opinions on the issue of space junk rules for systems it gives licenses to. This will happen on March 8 in the Federal Register. The request for information was made available for the public to look at. March 7.
It was noticed in the request for information that for 20 years, companies had to have a plan for getting rid of their satellites after they finish their work to get a license. But in 2020, this requirement was removed. This was because it was thought that almost all companies with space camera licenses also had licenses from the Federal Communications Commission, which also needs licensees to have plans to get rid of space junk.
The office said that it removed the requirement because it didn't want to have the same rules as the FCC. But now, the office has noticed more and more companies from other countries getting space camera licenses without FCC licenses.
The office also said that it has seen systems that use new ways to communicate and don't have FCC licenses.
The office is asking for opinions from the space camera industry on if it should bring back space junk rules for all licensees or only for those who don't have FCC licenses. It is also thinking about giving guidelines on how companies without FCC licenses can show that they follow the rules.
At an event, a Space Commerce official talked about the request for information and said that the goal is to stop companies from avoiding rules by going to different countries for licenses.
The request for information is happening as the White House and Congress think about giving the Office of Space Commerce the power to supervise new space activities that are not currently regulated by any government agencies.
The goal of this effort is to prevent companies from choosing where to get a license based on what rules they have to follow.
The request for information is part of discussions on giving the Office of Space Commerce the power to oversee new space activities.
That might involve some rules on cleaning up space junk and other sustainability issues in space. If that happens, Swiney said it's crucial to collaborate across different government departments to make sure there aren't redundant or overlapping requirements.
