The FCC has settled an investigation into an alleged unauthorized launch and operation of small satellites by Swarm Technologies. The company agreed to a Consent Decree that included a $900,000 penalty, an extended period of FCC oversight, and a requirement of pre-launch notices to the FCC, among other stipulations.
“We will aggressively enforce the FCC’s requirements that companies seek FCC authorization prior to deploying and operating communications satellites and earth stations,” FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Rosemary Harold said. “These important obligations protect other operators against radio interference and collisions, making space a safer place to operate.”
In April 2017, Swarm applied for an Experimental license to deploy and operate two Earth stations and four tiny 0.25 U CubeSats called SpaceBEEs. The FCC denied Swarm’s application in December 2017 over concerns about the ability to track the satellites. Swarm nevertheless launched the satellites on January 12, 2018, on a vehicle that also carried an Amateur Radio satellite into space. After reports of the unauthorized SpaceBEEs launch surfaced, the FCC launched an investigation last March.
The FCC determined that Swarm had launched the four SpaceBEEs from India and had unlawfully transmitted signals between Earth stations in Georgia and the satellites for more than a week. In addition, the FCC discovered that Swarm had also performed unauthorized weather balloon-to-ground station tests and other unauthorized equipment tests prior to the launch. All these activities required FCC authorization.
The December resolution requires Swarm to pay a penalty $900,000 to the US Treasury and to submit pre-launch reports to the FCC for the next 3 years. The FCC said Swarm has committed to a strict compliance plan to prevent future FCC rule violations.
The FCC issued an Enforcement Advisory last April to remind satellite operators that they must obtain FCC authorization for space station and Earth station operations. The advisory cautioned satellite operators and launch companies against proceeding with launch arrangements following a license denial or prior to receiving an FCC authorization.
Source:ARRL
Review
ACOM team to discuss the latest amplifier technology. Tune in and ask the team questions. Read more
VHF
Ham Radio vs GMRS – Ham Radio compared to GMRS frequencies and modes – which ones is better? Today let’s talk about both of them, how they compare, and the features of each. Read more
Antenna
MONSTER YAGI FOR 20M
A 5 element wide spaced yagi for the 20m long path to Europe was installed at ZL6QH in May 2005. A photo of this “monster” antenna... Read more
The Yagi-Uda Antenna
A Yagi-Uda antenna, commonly known simply as a Yagi antenna, is a directional antenna consisting of multiple parallel dipole elements in a line,[1] us... Read more
Sky Ham Radio End Fed Antenna , Resonant 40 – 20 – 10
Today many Hams encounter big problems when they want to install a good antenna. Many live in an apartment building, or in an area where the rules do... Read more
Jim W6LG Uses A Short Dipole To Demonstrate How A Dipole Functions
Jim makes and then shows his tunable half wavelength dipole antenna. Using an antenna analyzer, Jim finds the resonant frequency and the lowest SWR do... Read more
W4OP Loop Antenna
It seems that more and more, amateurs are facing increasingly strict HOAs. This antenna is not designed for the backpacker, but rather for the QRP ama... Read more
