- The Federal Communications Commission is seeking industry input to help improve spectrum access for space launch and reentry
- The FCC notice is inviting public comment on potential applications that could demand greater spectrum capacity in the future
- Respondents may submit their comments on Sept. 14, while reply comments are due on Sept. 24
The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday opened a public comment period on how to strengthen spectrum access for commercial and federal space launch and reentry activities, part of a broader push to support the White House’s national space transportation agenda.
The notice was released by the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, Office of Engineering and Technology and Space Bureau following a presidential memorandum on national space transportation policy issued August 20. That memorandum directs federal agencies to look for ways to expand launch and reentry infrastructure and instructs the FCC to work with other agencies to guarantee dependable spectrum availability for launch, reentry, recovery and on-orbit operations.
What Launch and Reentry Data Is the FCC Asking From Industry?
The bureaus are asking commenters to weigh in on a broad set of issues, including how often and where launches and reentries occur, how much spectrum operations currently require, and what new applications might demand additional capacity going forward. The agencies also want feedback on whether new spectrum allocations should carry secondary, co-primary, or primary status and how existing coordination timelines and procedures could be made more efficient to keep pace with a growing and less predictable launch schedule.
Input is also being sought on near-term steps achievable within two years, medium-term actions within two to five years and longer-term measures beyond five years. The notice points out that roughly 200 launch activities currently take place annually in the U.S., a figure the agencies expect to climb sharply as the new space transportation policy takes effect — with possible knock-on effects for spectrum used by uncrewed aircraft and surface vessels supporting launch operations.
Comments on the proceeding are due on September 14, with reply comments due on September 24.
What Does the Commercial Space Federation Petition Request?
The same notice folds in a separate rulemaking petition submitted by the Commercial Space Federation on August 4. The trade group asked the FCC to update its spectrum-sharing framework for non-federal aeronautical mobile telemetry and to establish new coordination mechanisms across the 1435-1535 MHz, 2360-2395 MHz, and 5091-5150 MHz bands, arguing the current process could operate more efficiently. That petition has been assigned rulemaking number RM-12025 and will be reviewed as part of the same proceeding, which the FCC will treat as “permit-but-disclose” for ex parte purposes.
