SHERPA letter 11-14F

REPLY submitted by Spaceflight, Inc.

Response to Questions

2016-11-14

This document pretains to SAT-STA-20150821-00060 for Special Temporal Authority on a Satellite Space Stations filing.

IBFS_SATSTA2015082100060_1158072

LAW OFFICES GOLDBERG, GODLES, WIENER & WRIGHT LLP 1229 NINETEENTH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20036-2413 HENRY GOLDBERG (202) 429-4900 JOSEPH A. GODLES TELECOPIER: JONATHAN L. WIENER (202) 429-4912 DEVENDRA (“DAVE”) KUMAR e-mail: ________ general@g2w2.com HENRIETTA WRIGHT website: www.g2w2.com THOMAS G. GHERARDI, P.C. COUNSEL ________ THOMAS S. TYCZ* SENIOR POLICY ADVISOR *NOT AN ATTORNEY November 14, 2016 Mr. Jose P. Albuquerque Chief, Satellite Division International Bureau Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, SW Washington, DC 20554 Re: Space Station Special Temporary Authority, File No. SAT-STA-20150821-00060, Response to Questions Dear Mr. Albuquerque: This letter responds to the questions that you raised with us in your November 10, 2016 e-mail. By way of background, Planet Labs has now informed Spaceflight that it is withdrawing its payload of 56 satellites from the SHERPA launch. Although this was not anticipated, it will not lead Spaceflight to cancel the SHERPA mission. Instead of the originally planned 90 satellites to be deployed (counting the SeeMe satellite to be deployed three weeks later from the eXCITe spacecraft), Spaceflight will proceed with the previously identified 34 satellites when SpaceX resumes launch activity and informs Spaceflight of its launch window. Pursuant to Spaceflight’s standard mission planning processes, the Planet Labs satellites will be replaced with mass simulators, which will not be deployed into orbit, but will remain in the SHERPA. We address the specific questions raised below:

Mr. Jose P. Albuquerque November 14, 2016 Page 2 Question 1: Please indicate whether the Planet Labs satellites will be replaced with other satellites, or with mass simulators. Response: As stated above, the Planet Labs satellites will be replaced with mass simulators. Question 2: If they will be replaced with other satellites, please update the list of satellites specified in the application. Response: Not applicable. Question 3: A statement as to whether given the revised launch objectives, it is technically feasible to deploy satellites from SHERPA without detaching SHERPA from the SpaceX upper stage. Response: It would not be technically feasible to do so. Please let us know if there are any additional questions. A copy of this letter is also being uploaded into the Commission’s pubic record file. Respectfully submitted, /s/Henry Goldberg Henry Goldberg Jonathan L. Wiener Attorneys for Spaceflight, Inc.


Document Created: 2016-11-14 09:35:19
Document Modified: 2016-11-14 09:35:19
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