NOAA Remote Sensing License

0064-EX-CN-2016 Text Documents

Cornell University

2017-07-06ELS_194736

                        Privileged Document/Proprietary Information
                                                       Cislunar Explorers June 19, 2017




               License to Operate a Private Remote Sensing Space System

      Licensee:                     Cornell University

      Name of System:               Cislunar Explorers

      Type of System:               2 Electro-Optical Imaging Satellites

      Effective Date:               June 19, 2017        License


1.   Grant of License
     a.    The National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service of the National
             Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an agency of the U.S.
             Department of Commerce, hereby grants to Cornell University (herein "the
             Licensee"), a License ("the License"), to operate the Licensee's private remote
             sensing space system described below at Section 3 of this License ("the System"),
             consistent with the terms of this License. This License's terms and conditions
             reflect, among other significant provisions, the System parameters and operating
             conditions approved by the Secretary of Commerce, or his or her delegate ("the
             Secretary").

     b.     This License is granted under the authority of The National and Commercial Space
            Programs Act of 2010 ("the Act"), Title 51 U.S.C. §§60101 et seq, and the
            regulations promulgated thereunder, 15 CFR Part 960 ("the Regulations").
            The authorization provided by this License is limited to the remote sensing
            operations of the System. It does not provide authorization for the conduct of any
            non-remote sensing operations that are proposed to be undertaken by the System.




                        Privileged Document/Proprietary Information

                                           1 of 15


                       Privileged Document/Proprietary Information
                                                      Cislunar Explorers June 19, 2017




     c.      The Licensee shall ensure that the information provided to NOAA and relied upon
             in issuing this License, and/or any subsequent licensing action, is current and
             accurate. Consistent with the time limits set forth in the regulations and this
             License, failure to notify NOAA in a timely manner of any changes to that
             information on which the determination to issue this License or a subsequent
             licensing action was or will be made may result in penalties for noncompliance
             being levied for each inaccuracy and/or license suspension or revocation.
             (See, 15 CFR §§ 960.11(a) and 960.13).

     d.      In the event that factual circumstances surrounding the issuance of this License or
             any subsequent licensing action change, including but not limited to the factual
             representations which NOAA relied upon in the production of this document,
             NOAA reserves the right to reexamine and/or revoke this License or any
             subsequent licensing action at that time.

     e.      The terms and obligations of this License shall bind the Licensee's affiliates,
             subsidiaries, assigns, heirs, and successors (whether through merger, acquisition or
             otherwise).

     f.      This License shall not be transferred or assigned by any means, including without
             limitation, by operation of law or merger, by the Licensee, without the prior written
             consent of NOAA.

2.   Term of License
     a.    This License for operation of the System shall be valid from the effective date
           through the operational lifetime of the System or until the Secretary determines that
           the Licensee is not in compliance with: the requirements of the Act; the Regulations
           promulgated thereunder; the terms and conditions of this License; or that the
           Licensee's activities or operation of that System are not consistent with the national
           security, foreign policy and the international obligations of the United States.
           (See, 15 CFR § 960.9(a)).

     b.     The Licensee shall notify the NOAA Assistant Administrator within seven (7) days
            of financial insolvency, dissolution, the demise of its system or of its decision to
            discontinue system operation. Upon notification, the Assistant Administrator will
            terminate the License. (See, 15 CFR § 960.9(b)).
                       Privileged Document/Proprietary Information

                                            2 of 15


                      Privileged Document/Proprietary Information
                                                     Cislunar Explorers June 19, 2017




3.   System Description
     The System is described as follows, based upon the information contained in the
     Licensee's application dated January 26, 2017 and subsequent information provided to
     NOAA. Details of the approved System configurations are included in Appendix 2.

     System's Name:        Cislunar Explorers

     System Type:          2 Electro-Optical Imaging Satellites

     Resolution:           23.6 km Panchromatic (PAN) Ground Sample Distance (GSD)

     Location of Mission Control Center:             Ithaca, NY

     Alternate Mission Control Center:               TBD

     Location of Remote Ground Station(s):           See Attachment 1

4.   Conditions and Operational Parameters of the System:

     a.     The Licensee shall operate its System in a manner that preserves the national
            security and observes the foreign policy and international obligations of the
            United States.
            (See, 15 CFR § 960.11(b)(1)).

     b.     The Licensee shall maintain operational control of the System from a location
            within the United States at all times, including the ability to override all
            commands issued by any operations centers or stations, as well as safeguards to
            ensure the integrity of the operations of the System. (See, 15 CFR § 960.11(b)(2)).

     c.     Satellite tracking, telemetry and control (TT&C) and data transmission and
            storage must be encrypted, using U.S. Government approved encryption. The
            encryption package is listed in Appendix 2.

     d.     NOAA must review and approve the Licensee’s Data Protection Plan to ensure
            adequate protection for all uplinks, downlinks, and data relay.

                      Privileged Document/Proprietary Information

                                           3 of 15


              Privileged Document/Proprietary Information
                                             Cislunar Explorers June 19, 2017
e.   The Licensee is authorized to operate in the electromagnetic spectrum from 390-
     700 nm.

f.   The Licensee shall immediately notify NOAA of any significant operational
     deviation or proposed deviation of the system which would violate the conditions
     of the License. This includes notification of any tests of downlinking data to
     prospective ground stations not authorized as being part of the System by the
     terms of this License. In the case of such testing, the Licensee shall notify NOAA,
     in writing, at least 14 days prior to its commencement.
     (See, 15 CFR § 960.11(b)(11)).

g.   Non-Earth Imaging (NEI) principles:
        i. The Licensee may not image NEI unless it complies with the conditions in
           4.h and 4.i. NEI remote sensing operations consist of two categories: (1)
           imaging of non-man-made, naturally occurring phenomena and celestial
           bodies, including the moon, stars, etc., not including the Earth, referred to
           herein as “naturally-occurring phenomena,” and (2) imaging of artificial
           resident space objects (ARSO) in Earth orbit, including man-made
           satellites, etc., which may occur either with or without the consent of the
           ARSO owner and operator.
       ii. For purposes of license conditions 4.h, and 4.i, “resolved” refers to an
           image of an object in which the object fills more than 3 x 3 pixels of the
           imager's focal plane in two orthogonal axes simultaneously.
h.   Imaging of naturally occurring phenomena:
         i. The Licensee may image at any resolution, and may disseminate images
            of, naturally occurring phenomena.
        ii. Regardless of the Licensee’s intent, incidental imaging of ARSO,
            coincident with imaging natural occurring phenomena and celestial
            bodies, must be conducted in accordance with license condition 4.i.

i.   Imaging of ARSO:
        i. The Licensee may image ARSO in the electromagnetic spectrum from
            390-700 nm. The Licensee may not image ARSO outside of this
            spectrum.
       ii. The Licensee may image ARSO with or without consent, but the Licensee
            must comply with the below license conditions corresponding to whether
            or not consent exists.

              Privileged Document/Proprietary Information

                                   4 of 15


        Privileged Document/Proprietary Information
                                       Cislunar Explorers June 19, 2017
 iii.  Consenting imaging operations of ARSO:
       1. If the Licensee obtains written consent from the owner and operator to
       image ARSO, the Licensee may resolve such imagery and may use it to
       any extent permitted by the consent.
                a. Written consent from the owner and operator must also include
                confirmation that the owner and operator have obtained any
                necessary permission(s) for imaging from all applicable
                manufacturer(s), regulatory authority or authorities, and foreign
                entities with an interest in the ARSO.
       2. At least 90 days prior to conducting consenting ARSO imaging, the
       Licensee shall provide notice to NOAA for that imaging. The notice shall
       include: an identification of the target ARSO to be imaged, a record of all
       consents obtained, the orbital location of the ARSO, proposed orbital
       maneuver plan, dates of the ARSO imaging, and the imager’s distance
      from the imaged object.
      3. If NOAA places conditions on the ARSO imaging, the Licensee shall
      comply with such conditions.
      4. The Licensee shall delete all ARSO image content that is not part of
      the target resolved ARSO.
iv. Non-consenting imaging operations of ARSO:
      1. Absent written consent, the Licensee may image ARSO only to obtain
      unresolved imagery.
      2. Non-consenting imaging operations shall not be attempted at a
      resolution better than 0.5 meters.
      3. All intentionally or unintentionally gathered non-consenting ARSO
      imagery shall be encrypted at all times to the standards provided in
      Appendix 2.
      4. The Licensee shall purge the following imagery upon its discovery: all
      non-consenting resolved ARSO, and all non-consenting ARSO images at
      a resolution better than 0.5 meters.
      5. The Licensee may downgrade a resolved image to an unresolved image
      and retain it.
      6. The Licensee may disseminate non-consenting unresolved ARSO
      images subject to the limitations in conditions 4.i.iv.7 and 4.i.iv.8.
      7. Prior to dissemination, Licensees must correlate the tracking data of any
      unresolved ARSO imagery with the USG-approved space tracking catalog
      found at space-track.org Licensees shall maintain records of these
      correlations and submit to NOAA upon request.


        Privileged Document/Proprietary Information

                              5 of 15


                      Privileged Document/Proprietary Information
                                                     Cislunar Explorers June 19, 2017
                    8. Licensees may disseminate unresolved imagery of ARSO after
                    removing meta-data such as time, position and attitude of the sensor.
                    9. Should the Licensee desire to release imagery that it is unable to
                    correlate pursuant to subparagraph 7 above, the Licensee shall submit to
                    NOAA the uncorrelated imagery proposed to be disseminated for
                    correlation and determination of releasability. The Licensee must purge
                    from servers and storage devices any imagery that NOAA determines is
                    non-releasable.

5.   Limitations on Data Collection and/or Dissemination during Periods of Crisis
     a.    The Licensee may be required by the Secretary of Commerce, after consultations
           with the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of State, to limit data collection
           and/or distribution by the System as determined to be necessary to meet
           significant national security or significant foreign policy concerns or international
           obligations of the United States. NOAA will promptly notify the Licensee when
           such limitations may be required and the duration of the restricted period(s).
           (See, 15 CFR § 960.11(b)(4)).

     b.     The Licensee shall, on request, provide unenhanced restricted images collected by
            the System on a commercial basis exclusively to the USG, using USG-furnished
            or approved rekeyable encryption on the downlink. The costs and terms
            associated with meeting this condition will be negotiated directly between the
            Licensee and the Department of Defense (for the USG).

     c.     The Licensee shall use a data downlink format that allows the USG access to and
            use of these data during such restricted periods as set forth in Section 5(a) of this
            License.

6.   Imaging Restrictions of the State of Israel Imposed by the 1997 Defense
     Authorization Act, Pub. L. 104-201, Section 1064
     The Licensee shall not operate the System in such a manner as to disseminate images of
     the State of Israel at a resolution more detailed and precise than the current level of
     precision of satellite imagery readily and consistently available from non-U.S.
     commercial sources. "Israel" includes the State of Israel and those territories occupied by
     Israel in June, 1967 (the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights, and the West Bank). NOAA will
     advise the Licensee regarding; (1) changes to the current level of precision of satellite
     imagery for the State of Israel and (2) changes in the status of Israeli-occupied territories,
     if any.


                      Privileged Document/Proprietary Information

                                            6 of 15


                      Privileged Document/Proprietary Information
                                                     Cislunar Explorers June 19, 2017

7.   Significant or Substantial Foreign Agreements
     The Licensee shall notify NOAA of any significant or substantial agreement ("the
     agreement") the Licensee intends to enter with a foreign nation, entity, or consortium, at
     least 60 days before concluding such an agreement. The Licensee may not execute the
     agreement until NOAA has approved it in writing.
     (See, 15 CFR §§ 960.8 and 960.11(b)(5)).

8.   Provision of Data to Sensed States
     Subject to the terms and conditions of this License, the Licensee shall make available to
     the government of any country, including the United States, unenhanced data collected
     by the System concerning the territory under the jurisdiction of such government, as soon
     as such data are commercially available and on reasonable commercial terms and
     conditions. Upon receiving an unenhanced data request from a government seeking to
     exercise its rights as a "sensed state" as defined within the Act, the Licensee shall consult
     with NOAA.
     (See, 15 CFR § 960.11(b)(10)).

9.   Provision of Data to the National Archive
     a.     Subject to the terms and conditions of this License, the Licensee shall make
            available unenhanced land data collected by the System requested by the
            Department of the Interior on reasonable cost and conditions as agreed by the
            Licensee and the Department of Interior. After the expiration of any exclusive
            right to sell, or after a reasonable period of time, as agreed with the Licensee, the
            Department of Interior shall make these data available to the public at the cost of
            fulfilling user requests. Except for data which under this license may be approved
            for release only to the USG or USG-approved users.
            (See, 15 CFR § 960.11(b)(8).

     b.     Before purging any land data collected by the System in the Licensee's
            possession, the Licensee shall offer such data to the National Satellite Land
            Remote Sensing Data Archive at the cost of reproduction and transmission.
            Except for data which under this license may be approved for release only to the
            USG or USG-approved users, the Department of Interior shall make these data
            available immediately to the public at a price equivalent to the cost of fulfilling
            user requests.
            (See, 15 CFR § 960.11(b)(9)).

     c.     The Licensee shall provide to the USG, upon request, a complete list of all
            archived, unenhanced land data which has been collected by its System which is
                      Privileged Document/Proprietary Information

                                            7 of 15


                       Privileged Document/Proprietary Information
                                                      Cislunar Explorers June 19, 2017
             not already maintained in a public catalog. Any information on this list which is
             deemed proprietary by the Licensee should be so noted by the Licensee when the
             list is provided to the USG.
             (See, 15 CFR § 960.11(b)(7)).

10.   Monitoring and Compliance Requirements
      a.    The Licensee shall comply with all monitoring and compliance requirements
            established by NOAA. These requirements are contained in Appendix 1.
            (See, 15 CFR § 960.11(b)(3)).

      b.     The Licensee shall allow NOAA access, at all reasonable times, to all facilities
             which comprise the System for the purpose of conducting License Monitoring and
             Compliance audits and inspections. NOAA shall conduct all such enforcement
             activities as are necessary and authorized to ensure the Licensee's compliance
             with the conditions of this License, the Act, and the regulations promulgated
             thereunder.
             (See, 15 CFR §§ 960.11(b)(3) and 960.14).

11.   Disposal of Licensee's System
      The Licensee shall perform all actions necessary to place the spacecraft in a safe
      configuration for final maneuver prior to de-orbit. Prior to de-orbiting the spacecraft, all
      stored energy sources on board the satellite will be discharged by venting excess
      propellant, discharging batteries, relieving pressure vessels, and other appropriate
      measures. No debris from the satellite is expected to reach the Earth's surface.

12.   Amendments to Licenses
      a.   Prior to undertaking any of the actions identified in 15 CFR § 960.7(a), the
           Licensee must promptly file all relevant information with NOAA.

      b.     Applications for an amendment to an existing License shall be filed at the same
             address at which the License application was filed, unless otherwise explicitly
             designated by NOAA.
             (See, 15 CFR §§ 960.7(b) and 960.7(f)(1)).




                       Privileged Document/Proprietary Information

                                             8 of 15


                      Privileged Document/Proprietary Information
                                                     Cislunar Explorers June 19, 2017


13.   Requirements for Additional Licenses and/or Other Governmental Approval
      a.    The issuance of a License does not relieve the Licensee of the obligation to obtain
            other licenses and specific written approval from other appropriate USG agencies,
            pursuant to applicable statutes, regulations, or contracts.

      b.     Licensed operations are subject to all applicable U.S. law including, but not
             limited to, any statutory restrictions or sanctions on trade.

      c.     Once the satellite is launched into orbit, the Licensee is required to register the
             payload with the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Oceans and International
             Environmental and Scientific Affairs, Office of Science and Advanced
             Technology, which maintains the U.S. national registry of space objects pursuant
             to the Convention of the Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space.
             If the registration of the satellites is the responsibility of KSA, then the licensee
             will provide NOAA with a notice that KSA has completed any requirements
             within its country.




                      Privileged Document/Proprietary Information

                                            9 of 15


                       Privileged Document/Proprietary Information
                                                   Cislunar Explorers June 19, 2017




IN WITNESS THEREOF, I hereby grant this License:


                                                                        June 19, 2017




Steple_\Rls—
Stephen Volz
Assistant Administrator
 NOAAA Satellite and Information Services




Appendices
Appendix 1:    Monitoring and Compliance Requirements
Appendix 2:    Operational and Technical Information
Appendix 3:    Corporate Information
Appendix 4:    Administrative Actions




                       Privileged Document/Proprietary Information
                                            10 of 15


                     Privileged Document/Proprietary Information
                                             Cislunar Explorers June 19, 2017

                                 Appendix 1
                   Monitoring and Compliance Requirements

1.   Annual Compliance Audit
     An on-site audit shall be conducted by the NOAA Monitoring and Compliance Program
     at least annually, following the issuance of a license, to confirm the licensee's compliance
     with the national security, foreign policy, and international obligations of the United
     States and compliance with all other license conditions.

2.   Pre-Launch Requirements
     No Later Than Twelve Months Prior to Launch
     a.    Submit operations plan for agency approval describing how licensee will comply
           with data collection restrictions, operational limitations, or any data protection
           plans, as required.
     b.    Submit operations plan for restricting collection and/or dissemination of imagery
           of Israeli territory to that which is no more detailed or precise than what will be
           available from non-U.S. commercial sources during the time of the licensee's
           planned operations.

     No Later Than Six Months Prior To Launch
     a.    Submit a data flow diagram that graphically represents the data flow from the
           sensor to the final product delivery locations.
     b.    Submit satellite sub-systems drawing showing the various sub-system locations
           on the satellite.
     c.    Submit a final imaging system specification document for each sensor. This must
           be coordinated with the imaging system contractor.
     d.    Verify all data protection plans for accuracy and submit updated plans to NOAA.

     No Later Than 30 Days Prior To Launch
     a.    Coordinate close out photo session.
     b.    Coordinate on-site inspections of Continental U.S. and overseas locations.
     c.    Coordinate final documentation review and close any outstanding actions with
           NOAA.

3.   Spacecraft is Commercially Operational
     Prepare for NOAA's site visit to review and confirm operational baseline.

4.   Quarterly Reporting
     Initiate quarterly reporting to NOAA.




                     Privileged Document/Proprietary Information
                                      11 of 15


                      Privileged Document/Proprietary Information
                                              Cislunar Explorers June 19, 2017

5.   Annual Operational Audit and Record Keeping
     In addition to the information required for the Annual Compliance Audit, all records and
     data from the previous twelve months pertaining to the following will be maintained by
     the licensee: Spacecraft telemetry; imaging sensor tasking and associated metadata to
     include date/time of collection, image number, imager used, image corner points in
     latitude/longitude, inertial position (x, y, z), scan duration, imagery data purges and purge
     alerts provided to the National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive.




                      Privileged Document/Proprietary Information
                                       12 of 15


                     Privileged Document/Proprietary Information
                                             Cislunar Explorers June 19, 2017

                                  Appendix 2
                     Operational and Technical Information

Orbital Parameters

      Launch Date:        NET November 2018

      Launch Vehicle:     NASA Space Launch System Block 1

      Altitude:           Approximately 384,400 km

      Inclination:        5.145 degrees relative to the moon



Space Segment

      System:             2 Electro-optical CubeSats

      Encryption:         AES 256 bit

      Imaging System:     23.6 km PAN GSD (390-700 nm)

      Frequencies:        Uplink: 437.50 MHz
                          Downlink: 437.51 MHz
                          Data Rate: 250 bps

Ground Segment:           See Attachment 1




                     Privileged Document/Proprietary Information
                                      13 of 15


                      Privileged Document/Proprietary Information
                                              Cislunar Explorers June 19, 2017


                                     Appendix 3
                                Corporate Information

Licensee:
Cornell University
144 East Avenue
Ithaca, NY 14853

Lead Advisor:
Professor Mason Peck, U.S. Citizenship
Cornell University
455 Upson Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853

Point of Contact:
Kyle Doyle, U.S. Citizenship

Directors: None

Joint Venture Members: None

Affiliates:
National Space Society
NASA, Wallops Flight Facility
NASA, CubeQuest Challenge

Partners: None

Each Foreign Ownership with Interest Equal to or Greater than 5 Percent in:
None

Directors, Partners, Executive Personnel or Senior Management Who Hold Positions with or
Serve as Consultants for Any Foreign Nation or Person:
None

Each Foreign Lender and Amount of Debt Where Foreign Indebtedness Exceeds 25 Percent of
an Applicant’s Total Indebtedness:
None




                      Privileged Document/Proprietary Information
                                       14 of 15


                  Privileged Document/Proprietary Information
                                          Cislunar Explorers June 19, 2017

                               Appendix 4
                           Administrative Actions

     Date       Description of Administrative Action Taken
1.   06/19/17   License Issued




                  Privileged Document/Proprietary Information
                                   15 of 15



Document Created: 2017-06-22 12:51:52
Document Modified: 2017-06-22 12:51:52

© 2025 FCC.report
This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the FCC