SpaceX's Starlink satellites have been screened from being deployed in orbit for solar array deployment mechanism failures or avionics failures not allowing control in a high-drag environment, the satellite operator told the FCC International Bureau Monday in response to FCC questions about its Starlink status report (see 2109200003). It said the solar array deployment mechanism was modified, and production control changes were made to tackle the avionics failures. It said it's being open about the health of its constellation, but the FCC should look at requiring increased transparency by other operators, such as publishing space situational awareness data.

Absent Congress giving express authority to impose federal financial obligations coming from the Outer Space Treaty onto satellite licensees, the FCC lacks authority to impose an indemnification requirement on satellite operators, industry representatives told Office of General Counsel staffers, per docket 18-313 Tuesday. They said Title III public interest authority "is not limitless" and needs to be tied to the authority to permit the use of RF spectrum. They said an indemnification requirement is unneeded since satellite operators "have a built-in incentive to avoid creating orbital debris and be good actors." Similarly unnecessary is requiring a bond for post-mission disposal, which would penalize operators unable to retire their satellites successfully and those that have taken precautions but can't do so due to risks beyond their control. Participants represented Panasonic, SES, Eutelsat, ABS, Lynk, Telesat, SpaceX, Intelsat, Amazon, Planet, EchoStar, Spire, Boeing, Inmarsat, Astranis, Lockheed Martin and the Satellite Industry Association.

Saying it's done with the Phase I accelerated clearing of the C band, SES in FCC docket 18-122 Monday asked for validation of the company's certification. Eutelsat also has pending a validation application, with validation triggering accelerated relocation payment (see 2109280060).

With its plans to start building a private addition to the International Space Station starting in February, Axiom Space needs FCC relief because the agency's current certification on RF devices isn't sufficient to take customer-furnished communications equipment into space, company officials said. In speaking with officials including Office of Engineering and Technology acting Chief Ron Repasi, Axiom sought guidance for integrating communications on payloads owned by internationally represented entities, per a docket 13-115 post Monday. Longer term, there should be a “light-touch” regulatory environment for on-orbit services where licensing supports the growing commercial space sector, Axiom said.

SES/O3b arguments that non-geostationary orbit systems should be required to share their equivalent power flux density calculation results from ITU's valuation system (see 2109210004) would mean the FCC dropping its rules regarding EPFD limits for NGSOs and letting competitors be sole arbiters of a rule conflicting with the ITU's, SpaceX told the FCC International Bureau Thursday. While NGSO operators might wish ITU validation software didn't contain so many unfavorable assumptions about interference potential, "no one -- not SES/O3b, GSO operators, or NGSO operators -- has the unilateral right to dictate a different analysis or a different EPFD standard," it said. SES/O3b didn't comment Friday.

Intelsat's requested license transfers as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization (see 2108270001) are being reviewed by the Committee for the Assessment of Foreign Participation in the U.S. Telecom Services Sector said in FCC docket 21-375 Friday.

Intelsat slightly raised its estimated C-band Phase I clearing expenses, while SES, Telesat and Embratel said they are done with Phase I or on the cusp, in FCC docket 18-122 accelerated clearing transition plan updates last week. Intelsat said the $10 million increase, to $1.76 billion, was driven by higher customer migration and compression expenses and telemetry, tracking and control/gateway relocation and ground system grooming plan costs. Its update increases the estimate of cable headends and cable antennas receiving Intelsat customer transmission and thus will need some retuning or repainting in the migration plan. Its estimate was 460 headends and 1,800 antennas; now it's 2,500 total headends and 10,000 antennas. SES said it's transitioned all services out of the 3700-3820 MHz band exclusive to the contiguous U.S. Estimated costs are unchanged. Telesat expects to complete the 3.7-4 GHz clearing in one swoop this week, instead of in two phases. Embratel said the transponder used for C-band services on its Star One C1 satellite is no longer operational and the satellite itself will cease operations by Oct. 9 and be deorbited.

Critics of SpaceX's requested amendment to the pending application of its second-generation broadband constellation can't show where it didn't provide any necessary information but instead argue it provided too much information about an alternate configuration for the constellation, the company told the FCC International Bureau Wednesday. It said the argument the agency shouldn't put out the amendment for public comment "is both extraordinary and unprecedented."

Eutelsat turned down a takeover offer from Altice founder and controlling shareholder Patrick Drahi that would have valued the satellite communications company at about $14 per share, Eutelsat said Thursday.

Telesat, SpaceX, Kepler and OneWeb withdrew their reconsideration petition asking the FCC to take a second look at its May order creating two categories of non-geostationary orbit regulatory fees (see 2109170045), said a docket 21-190 withdrawal Thursday. A satellite regulatory lawyer told us the FCC effectively ruled on the petition issue with its FY 2021 fees order in August (see 2108270072), which endorsed the 20%-80% NGSO fees subcategories and thus implicitly endorses the principle of having a split.