By 
November 2nd, 2022
“Over the last few years, companies have launched large constellations of satellites to provide services such as phone and Internet access. This trend is expected to accelerate, with tens of thousands of additional satellites expected to be launched by the end of the decade,” writes the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). “Stakeholders have raised questions about federal consideration of potential environmental and other effects as the number of satellites orbiting the Earth increases.”
As noted by the GAO, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies to consider the environmental effects of major federal actions prior to making decisions and to involve the public.
Federal agencies consider potential environmental and other effects from large constellations of satellites through licensing and other efforts. GAO reported that these effects could include sunlight reflections, orbital debris, and launch emissions.
What they found
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) consider these potential effects when licensing satellite transmissions and launch and reentry vehicles, respectively. Other federal agencies fund or lead research on these potential effects.
GAO found that “FCC has not sufficiently documented its decision to apply its categorical exclusion when licensing large constellations of satellites.”
To access the full report — “Satellite Licensing: FCC Should Reexamine Its Environmental Review Process for Large Constellations of Satellites” – go to:
Posted in Space News
