FCC Proposes Rules for Easier Access to Spectrum During Commercial Space Launches
The FCC approved a rulemaking that proposes giving the commercial space industry faster, more assured access to the 420-430 MHz, 2200-2290 MHz and 5650-5925 MHz spectrum bands during space launches. The FCC also proposes various options to improve interference protection for communications between commercial satellites and federal users on the ground. An accompanying NOI examines the space industry’s broader spectrum needs. The NPRM and NOI were approved Thursday by the commission by a 4-0 vote.
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In April 2010, in a speech at John F. Kennedy Space Center, President Barack Obama stressed the growing role that commercial operations would play in the future of U.S. space exploration (http://1.usa.gov/10IXWJe).
"Recently two launch vehicle manufacturers have applied to the FCC for access to spectrum during commercial launches and both got special temporary authority to use the spectrum on a non-interference basis,” said Nicholas Oros of the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology, who presented the item at Thursday’s FCC meeting. “The frequency of commercial launches is expected to increase. NASA has contracted with two private companies to make commercial space flights to the International Space Station and several additional companies are expected to develop space flight capability.”
In the NPRM, the FCC proposes to provide spectrum for controlling, monitoring and tracking launch vehicles, said OET Chief Julius Knapp. “We want to move from the special temporary authority to a structure where there’s more confidence about the spectrum that will be available to support the launches,” Knapp said. “Our end objective is to provide certainty and to make the process as smooth and easy as possible.” Most of the bands are allocated on a primary basis for federal use, Knapp said. “In the past, the launches have been supported through federal operations, but as we're moving to commercial operations no longer are they going to be under the umbrella of the federal side, which is why we need to create allocations to assure the spectrum access for the commercial launches,” he said.
The NOI “asks whether access to other frequency bands will be required and whether amendments to the commission’s rules will be necessary,” Oros said. “The notice of inquiry also makes inquiries into the communication needs of suborbital space flights and commercial space stations."
"The U.S. commercial space launch industry has entered a new era of innovation and growth,” the FCC said in a news release (http://bit.ly/16keWOq). “According to the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation’s 2012 Commercial Space Transportation Forecast, fifty percent of the total predicted launches over the next 10 years will be for commercial transportation services. As this industry continues to develop, it will create new technologies, generate countless jobs, and continue the United States’ leadership role in space.”
NTIA petitioned the FCC in 2006 for a rulemaking (http://bit.ly/XRBqBo). NTIA asked the commission to amend the National Table of Frequency Allocations to permit government earth stations to operate on a primary basis consistent with the regulatory status afforded commercial operations and with the allocation status of the satellite service (CD May 6 p5). NTIA also requested changes that would allow federal agencies to deploy new satellite systems in unused spectrum in the Mobile Satellite Service band.
"The OET staff could have presented an item that simply addressed the complex issues necessary to advance these two requests,” said Commissioner Mignon Clyburn. “Instead, the team took a more ambitious approach, and found a creative way, to also promote our nation’s vital interest in communications services during space travel.” The U.S. “has reached a point where [the] collaboration between space aviation and communications must leap to the next level,” she said. “The ending of NASA’s space shuttle program means that we must explore even more innovative ways to continue our nation’s leadership in space education, exploration and discovery."
"We are in the early stages of a new era in space exploration,” said Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel. “What was once just the airy province of science fiction is now grounded in reality. As our space missions expand, our aerospace technologies advance, and as a result, a commercial market for space travel is now emerging. Going forward, access to space will no longer be limited to those few federal workers with the right stuff.”
Space has become “the forgotten frontier,” said Commissioner Ajit Pai. “Not after today,” he said. “With this item, we advance a bevy of proposals with one overarching aim -- ensuring the efficient use of spectrum for space-related communications. For instance, I am excited that the notice proposes to let the federal Argos satellite system use the 399.9-400.05 MHz band. Argos directs its all-seeing eyes on the global ecosystem, and bringing this long-fallow spectrum into use promises better environmental data for American scientists.” The NPRM also addresses “a quirk of federal law,” which divides authority over spectrum use between the FCC and the NTIA, Pai said. “The notice proposes amendments to our Table of Allocations in order to provide interference protection to both federal earth stations operating in commercial spectrum and the commercial space industry operating in federal spectrum,” he said.