Test Flight Industry Seeks Clarification of Space Launch Spectrum Order

AFTRCC applauded the decision to make spectrum available for space launch and reentry activities but said that shouldn't "cause undue constraints on the continued primary use of the shared allocation in the band by Federal and non-Federal flight test operators." It said the agency should make clear that coordination of space launch activity with flight test operations in the upper S band will be collaborative exercises. It should also make clear that per-launch coordination is required for nonfederal flight test operations in 2360-2395 MHz in the same way it's required for primarily federal flight test operations in the band, AFTRCC said. Lastly, the FCC should clarify language in the order suggesting that the availability of the 2360-2395 MHz band for commercial space launch and reentry activity was a minimum required by Congress when the law limits permissible operations to such activity and going beyond those uses would expressly conflict with the language of the statute.