Operators of some incumbent fixed satellite service C-band earth station antennas have until Feb. 16 to provide notice of their operational status in the 3.7 GHz band or else lose their incumbent status, said an International Bureau public notice Friday. They also could have their authorizations for those frequencies terminated, it said. In question are C-band antennas listed in the FCC's International Bureau filing system as active but reported to the C-band relocation coordinator as not currently receiving C-band satellite service, it said. Along with the PN, the bureau released a list of several dozen antennas falling into that category.
Three SpaceX Starlink satellites lost maneuverability between Oct. 10 and Nov. 7, SpaceX said in an FCC International Bureau status report last week. Sensitive components believed responsible for the seeming flight computer failures on Oct. 10 and Nov. 7 have been identified and won't be used in future designs, it said. A software fix is being made for the suspected hardware vulnerability apparently responsible for the Oct. 31 failure, it said.
The FCC Office of Engineering and Technology should get public input as its guidelines for human exposure to RF electromagnetism are under review to ensure the agency guidance doesn't unduly hinder antenna tech advances, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell told FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, per a filing Friday in docket 21-456 filing. OET in the meantime should allow operators to demonstrate compliance "through better-tailored methodologies supported by sound engineering practice," it said.
SES/O3b recapped discussions with aides to the four FCC commissioners on its non-geostationary orbit spectrum sharing proposal, in a docket 21-456 posting Thursday. It held similar talks last month with agency staffers (see 2210270033).
Iridium claims about National Academies of Sciences report findings ignore that the report explicitly doesn't reach a conclusion about whether Iridium would experience harmful interference as defined by the FCC rules, Ligado said in docket 11-109 Thursday. Iridium also glosses over how the NAS report has a different definition of harmful interference from the FCC's, it said. That's a critical distinction because the FCC's rules and licensing regime are the only tools the commission can use, Ligado said, urging the agency to reject the Iridium-sought stay of the Ligado order (see 2211150043).
Satellite communications revenue should hit $141 billion annually by 2030, with the growth driven by low earth orbit constellations and satellite work extending terrestrial network coverage, ABI Research said Wednesday. It said there will be a big fight over rural and remote consumer data service market share, with that market being one of the key drivers of growth over the next decade. It said consumer and enterprise customers should top 53 million by 2030.
Iridium pitched an aide to Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel for a stay of the FCC's Ligado order based on the National Academies of Sciences report on interference threats to its satellite system from Ligado emitters, per a docket 12-340 posting Tuesday. Iridium made a similar pitch to the regular commissioners earlier in the month (see 2211070048).
Intelsat's Galaxy 31 and Galaxy 32 satellites launched Saturday from Florida's Cape Canaveral, the company said. Galaxy 31 will replace Galaxy 23 and provide distribution services to cable headends in the U.S., and Galaxy 32 will replace Galaxy 17's C-band payload, it said. Both are to begin service early next year.
AST SpaceMobile deployed the communications array for its test satellite, BlueWalker 3, the largest commercial communications array ever deployed in low earth orbit, it said Monday. The satellite's arrays, at 693 square feet, should have a field of view covering more than 300,000 square miles of the surface of the earth, it said.
Telesat is seeking FCC OK to transfer the license for SES' AMC-11 satellite from SES. In an International Bureau application posted Thursday, it said it intends to relocate the satellite at 131 degrees west to 111.1 degrees west, where it will collocate with Telesat's Anik F2 satellite. Telesat said it's buying AMC-11 to continue providing C-band service from 111.1 degrees west. An SES spokesperson said Anik F2 is experiencing an anomaly and AMC-11 is the best option for providing continuity of C-band service to those Telesat customers needing to transition quickly. Telesat said AMC-11, when moved and assigned, will be called Anik F4.