The 2 GHz and 1.6/2.4 GHz mobile satellite service (MSS) bands are prime for sharing with new entrant satellite systems, SpaceX told FCC Space Bureau staff, including Chief Jay Schwarz. In a docket 25-173 filing posted Wednesday recapping the meeting, SpaceX said the agency should make clear that EchoStar's market access in the 2 GHz band has expired and that the band is open for competitive entry. Granting Globalstar's application for 1.6/2.4 GHz access for its French-licensed C-3 system without processing other pending applications "would effectively cede control" of harmonized midband MSS frequencies to a foreign administration, it said. SpaceX also discussed satellite-related proposals in the FCC's "Delete" proceeding, including the addition of categories of satellite modifications that don't require prior approval. In a docket 25-133 filing, SpaceX said it also proposed adopting "self-coordinated 'light licensing'” instead of site-by-site earth station licensing in millimeter-wave bands and presuming that granting a satellite or earth station application would serve the public interest as long as it operates within existing rules.

DOD might be missing opportunities to charge commercial space launch companies millions of dollars for their use of federal launch sites, the Government Accountability Office said Monday. That money could support infrastructure improvements at the sites, it added. DOD expects to spend more than $18 billion on launch services and infrastructure over the next five years, according to GAO. Until recently, the department lacked the ability to bill for indirect costs of commercial launch services, including the cost of maintaining and operating its space-related facilities. DOD has more ability now to collect those costs, GAO said, but it still lacks clear cost-collection and reimbursement guidance for support services at launch ranges. It recommended that DOD ensure that the Space Force collaborates with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense Comptroller to better define the guidance for collecting and reimbursing direct and indirect costs for support services at launch ranges. It also recommended that Space Force prioritize getting better insight into the schedules of commercial operators integrating payloads and launch vehicles.

Getting and maintaining a satellite license is costlier in the U.S. than anywhere else, and the bond requirement means a lot of capital being set aside that could be invested in the business, according to Astranis Space Technologies. The company discussed licensing issues in a meeting with FCC Space Bureau Chief Jay Schwarz, said a filing posted Monday (docket 25-133). The agency's bond structure "serves to freeze out new entrants while enabling established operators with large fleets to secure additional spectrum bond-free," it said. The small geostationary orbit satellite operator also urged the FCC to allow applications on a given orbit location rather than on a per-satellite basis.

SpaceX is being "absurd" when it says the test flight industry is trying to add complexity to the space launch and licensing coordination process, the Aerospace and Flight Test Radio Coordinating Council said in comments posted Friday (docket 13-115). Responding to SpaceX's opposition to AFTRCC's reconsideration petition about use of the upper S band for space launches (see 2506170053), the group said any framework for the band, as well as the 2025-2110 and 2200-2290 MHz bands, needs to clarify the secondary status of commercial space launch operations. AFTRCC said its petition seeks "limited clarification ... not a major revisitation as one reading [SpaceX's] Opposition might conclude."

ITU-equivalent power flux density limits on satellites should remain, though there could be an update if studies show it's feasible and required, wrote Anna Marklund, SES' vice president of World Radiocommunication Conference affairs. Discussing recent WRC-27 working party meetings, Marklund said last week that there were "intense discussions" around direct-to-device issues. While progress was slow, she noted that there was an agreement to call D2D in the ITU context "DC-MSS-IMT” -- direct connectivity between mobile satellite service space station and international mobile telecommunications user equipment. But there still needs to be common understanding and agreement on the operational concept of DC-MSS-IMT before the working party that's charged with efficient spectrum and orbital use by satellites can engage in assessing technical compatibility with other incumbent services, Marklund wrote. WRC-23 language over EPFD limits saw fights between geostationary and non-geostationary orbit satellite operators (see 2402200005).

Under a coordination agreement between Amazon's Kuiper and the National Science Foundation, the satellite operator agreed to steps such as reducing the optical brightness of satellites through physical design changes and orientation, NSF said Thursday. It said Kuiper also agreed to provide data to astronomers about satellite orbital locations and to work with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory on ensuring satellite downlinks and gateways don't cause harmful interference or damage to radio astronomy receivers.

The FCC's 1610-1626.5 MHz band and 2483.5-2500 MHz band licensing framework has been a huge success, and there's no reason to modify it, Globalstar CEO Paul Jacobs told FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, according to a filing posted Tuesday. Globalstar said the FCC should grant its C-3 constellation application (see 2502280001) without conducting a rulemaking on the spectrum bands or initiating a processing round. Allowing a new entrant into its licensed mobile satellite service spectrum "would inevitably cause extensive harmful interference." SpaceX has sought permission to operate in the 1.6/2.4 GHz bands (see 2506120011).

SpaceX or Amazon's Kuiper likely will dominate low earth orbit coverage of the West, while countries aligned elsewhere politically will gravitate to Chinese mega-constellation coverage, Valour Consultancy wrote Friday. Valour said the ongoing development of GuoWang and SpaceSail's Qianfan/Thousand Sails mega-constellations shows China's goal of establishing a series of national satellite networks with global reach that compete with SpaceX, Kuiper and OneWeb. A SpaceSail spinoff is to be set up in Brazil within a couple of years, it said, while Latin American telco America Movil has cut ties with Starlink and is considering partnering with a Chinese network. SpaceSail has said it's talking with more than 30 countries about providing satellite connectivity, Valour noted. SpaceX's position as the world's LEO satellite leader is "precarious" as countries put more emphasis on regional control over network operations, the consultancy said.

Comments are due July 21, replies Aug. 5, regarding AST SpaceMobile's request to operate an additional 243 satellites atop the five already authorized, said an FCC Space Bureau public notice Friday (docket 25-201). However, the bureau said it isn't taking comments on AST being allowed to conduct operations other than telemetry, tracking and control. The company earlier this month asked for approval to start offering supplemental coverage from space service in the U.S. using AT&T’s 800 MHz and lower 700 MHz spectrum and Verizon’s 800 MHz spectrum (see 2506130002).

In order to avoid orbital congestion from SpaceX's Starlink constellation, earth exploration satellite service operator PlanetiQ is seeking FCC approval to operate its GNOMES-5 satellite at a slightly higher orbital altitude. In a Space Bureau application posted Tuesday, it said operating at an altitude of up to 575 km -- instead of its currently authorized 560 km -- would let it avoid SpaceX's orbital shells and thus reduce the frequency of conjunction alerts.