Hyperdrive
Dish Dealt Space-Debris Fine for Misparking Satellite
- Retired pay-TV satellite was left below altitude US required
- Thousands of communications satellites are in orbit now
The number of satellites has reached almost 9,000, compared with roughly 2,000 less than five years ago.
Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg
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Dish Network Corp. was fined $150,000 by US regulators for leaving a retired satellite parked in the wrong place in space, reflecting official concern over the growing amount of debris orbiting Earth and the potential for mishaps.
The Federal Communications Commission called the action its first to enforce safeguards against orbital debris.