Attachment Space Exploration Ho

Space Exploration Ho

DECISION submitted by IB, FCC

Grant with conditions

2019-09-04

This document pretains to SAT-STA-20190815-00075 for Special Temporal Authority on a Satellite Space Stations filing.

IBFS_SATSTA2019081500075_1888407

‘‘~‘~‘ ~ ~ ~ ‘~ .7~ •~‘~ Pile# I r, ~ ~i ~ ~flSi~$, l~ GrantDato’ ~ ~1~i •~t.., ~ — (or other Identifier~ ‘1~crm Dates p~d t~F ‘l~~ Approved by 0MB __________ To: 30 ‘&~jS 3060 0678 Date & Time Filed: Aug 15 2019 11:1 2:30:563A International Bureau File Number: SAT STA 20190815 00075 ~w*h coaihon~ p~D4i Calisign: c~i~tk~ ~ i3iarh FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION APPLICATION FOR SPACE STATION SPECIAL TEMPORARY AUTHORITY FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY APPLICANT INFORMATION Enter a description of this application to identify it on the main menu: Space Station Further STA Extension Request 1. Applicant Name: Space Exploratior Holdings, LLC Phone Number: 202 649 2700 DBA Name: Fax Number: 202—649—2701 Street: 1155 F Street, N.W. E—Mail: patricia.cooper@spacex.com Suite 475 City: Washington State: DC Country: USA Zipcode: 20004 Attention: Ms Patricia Cooper

ATTACHMENT TO GRANT Space Exploration Holdings, LLC IBFS File No. SAT—STA—20 190815—00075 IBFS File No(s): SAT—STA—20190815—00075 Licensee/Grantee: Space Exploration Holdings, LLC Call Sign: S2983/S3018 Satellite Name: SpaceX Ku/Ka-band Constellation Orbital Location: Non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) (required station- keeping tolerance) Administration: United States of America Nature of Service: Telemetry, Tracking, and Command (TT&C); Testing Scope of Grant: Special temporary authority (STA) for an additional period of 30 days for Launch and Early Orbit-Phase (LEOP) operations necessary to (1) perform TT&C necessary for orbit- raising; and (2) communicate with seven Ku-band earth stations to test the communications payload on each of 60 satellites that were deployed on May 23, 2019.’ Service Area(s): Not Applicable Frequencies: TT&C Frequencies 12.221 GHz (space-to-Earth) and 13.925 GHz (Earth-to-space) Payload Testing Frequencies 10.7-12.7 GHz (space-to-Earth) 14.0-14.5 0Hz (Earth-to-space). Operations under this grant must comport with the legal and technical specifications set forth by the applicant or petitioner and with Federal Communication Commission’s rules not waived herein. This grant is also subject to the following conditions: 1. All operations under this grant of special temporary authority must be on an unprotected and non- harmful interference basis, i.e., SpaceX must not cause harmful interference to, and must not claim protection from interference caused to it by, any other lawfully operating station. 2. In the event of any harmful interference under this grant of special temporary authority, SpaceX must cease operations immediately upon notification of such interference and must inform the Commission, in writing, immediately of such an event. 3. SpaceX’s payload-frequency operations must be limited to testing and must not include the provision of commercial services. 4. During LEOP operations SpaceX must operate only the TT’&C frequencies and test frequencies specified above. 5. Operations authorized here must comport with the conditions imposed in DA 19~342.2 Licensee/grantee is afforded thirty (30) days from the date of release of this action to decline the grant as conditioned. Failure to respond within this period will constitute formal acceptance of the grant as conditioned. ‘SpaceX notified that it would accept grant of special temporary authority for 30 days, rather than 60 days. Letter from William M. Wiltshire, Counsel for SpaceX, to Stephen Duall, Chief, Satellite Policy Branch, filed July 25, 2019 (IBFS File No. SAT-STA-20 190717-00063). 2 Space Exploration Holdings, LLC, Order and Authorization, DA 19-342 (lB rel. Apr. 26, 2019) (SpaceX Mod~fication Order). Page 1 of 2

ATTACHMENT TO GRANT Space Exploration Holdings, LLC IBFS File No. SAT—STA—20190815—00075 This action is taken pursuant to Section 0.261 of the Commission’s rules on delegated authority, 47 CFR § 0.261, and is effective upon release. Station licenses are subject to the conditions specified in Section 309(h) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. § 309(h). Action September 4, 2019 Date: Term Dates From: August 25, 2019 To: period of 30 days Approved: Stephen L,óuall Chief, Satellite Policy Branch Page 2 of 2

2. Contact Name: William M. Wiltshire Phone Number: 202—730—1350 Company: Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP Fax Number: 202—730—1301 Street: 1919 M Street, NW E—Mail: wwiltshire~hwglaw.com Suite 800 City: Washington State: DC Country: USA Zipcode: 20036 Attention: Relationship: Legal Counsel (If your application is related to an application filed with the Commission, enter either the file number or the lB Submission ID of the related application. Please enter only one.) 3. Reference File Number SAT5TA2019071700063 or Submission ID 4a. Is a fee submitted with this application? • If Yes, complete and attach FCC Form 159. If No, indicate reason for fee exemption (see 47 C.F.R.Section 1.1114). 0 Governmental Entity ~ Noncommercial educational licensee ~ Other(please explain): 4b. Fee Classification CXW — Space Station (Non—Geostationary) 5. Type Request ~ Change Station Location Extend Expiration Date Other 6. Temporary Orbit Location 7. Requested Extended Expiration Date NGSO 20 19—09—23 00:00:00.0

8. Description (If the complete descriptior does not appear in this box, please go to the end of the form to view it in its entirety.) SpaceX requests extension of special temporary authority for the first tranche of its NGSO satellites to communicate with Ku-band gateway and TT&C earth stations for an additional 30 days. 9. By checking Yes, the undersigned certifies that neither applicant nor any other party to the application is subject o Yes No to a denial of Federal benefits that includes FCC benefits pursuant to Section 5301 of the Anti—Drug Act of 1988, 21 U.S.C. Section 862, because of a conviction for possession or distribution of a controlled substance. See 47 CFR 1.2002(b) for the meaning of "party to the application" for these purposes. 10. Name of Person Signing 11. Title of Person Signing Patricia Cooper Vice President, Satellite Government Affairs 12. Please supply any need attachments. Attachment 1: STA Extension Reques Attachment 2: Attachment 3: WILLFUL FALSE STATEMENTS MADE ON THIS FORM ARE PUNISHABLE BY FINE AND / OR IMPRISONMENT (U.S. Code, Title 18, Section 1001), AND/OR REVOCATION OF ANY STATION AUTHORIZATION (U.S. Code, Title 47, Section 3 12(a)(1)), AND/OR FORFEITURE (U.S. Code, Title 47, Section 503).

FCC NOTICE REQUIRED BY THE PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT The public reporting for this collection of information is estimated to average 2 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the required data, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. If you have any comments on this burden estimate, or how we can improve the collection and reduce the burden it causes you, please write to the Federal Communications Commission, AMD—PERM, Paperwork Reduction Project (3060—0678), Washington, DC 20554. We will also accept your comments regarding the Paperwork Reduction Act aspects of this collection via the Internet if you send them to PRA~fcc.gov. PLEASE DO NOT SEND COMPLETED FORMS TO THIS ADDRESS. Remember You are not required to respond to a collection of information sponsored by the Federal government, and the government may not — conduct or sponsor this collection, unless it displays a currently valid 0MB control number or if we fail to provide you with this notice. This collection has been assigned an 0MB control number of 3060—0678. THE FOREGOING NOTICE IS REQUIRED BY THE PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT OF 1995, PUBLIC LAW 104-13, OCTOBER 1, 1995, 44 U.S.C. SECTION 3507.

REQUEST FOR EXTENSION OF SPECIAL TEMPORARY AUTHORITY On May 9, 2019, the Commission granted Space Exploration Holdings, LLC (“SpaceX”) Special Temporary Authority (“STA”) for the first tranche of its non-geostationary orbit (“NGSO”) satellites launched on May 24, 2019 to communicate with seven earth stations operated by its sister company, SpaceX Services, Inc. (“SpaceX Services”).’ The Commission subsequently extended that STA through August 24, 201 9•2 SpaceX respectfully requests that the Commission further extend that STA for an additional 30 days for the reasons discussed below. SpaceX has been authorized to launch and operate a constellation of 4,409 NGSO satellites (call sign S2983/S301 8) using Ku- and Ka-band spectrum. Pursuant to the STA, SpaceX has been communicating with an earth station to conduct telemetry, tracking, and control (“TT&C”) functions during orbit raising and initial on-station operations,3 and has also been communicating with six Ku-band gateway earth stations to test the communications payload on each of its satellites.4 SpaceX has operated with these earth station pursuant to the STA for nearly three months, and has received no complaints from any other authorized spectrum user. Allowing continued communications between the SpaceX space stations and SpaceX Services earth stations while applications for the latter are being processed would serve the public interest. The STA covers TT&C functions that are essential to commanding the spacecraft and ensuring the health and safety of SpaceX’s nascent constellation. The STA also allows SpaceX to confirm the operational status of its satellites on an ongoing basis. While much of the orbit-raising phase is now complete, there are still some satellites that have yet to reach their authorized altitude. In addition, there are two spacecraft that are being intentionally de-orbited in order to assess performance during this phase of the mission. Extending the STA would allow SpaceX to continue to provide TT&C functions that are essential to commanding all of these spacecraft and ensuring continuing monitoring of and control over SpaceX’s nascent constellation, as well as maintaining communications with these craft to assess their functionality. Accordingly, extension of the STA will continue serve the public interest by enhancing space safety and promoting the health and safety of SpaceX’s NGSO constellation. SpaceX will continue to operate on a non-interference basis, and in conformance with the applicable equivalent power flux-density (“EPFD”) limits set forth in Article 22 and Resolution 76 of the ITU Radio Regulations and the applicable power flux-density (“PFD”) limits set forth in See Public Notice, Rep. No. SAT-0 1388 (rel. May 10, 2019). As required under the STA, SpaceX confirmed the launch and commencement of operations date for its satellites, which began the term of the STA. 2 See Public Notice, Rep. No. SAT-0 1404 (rel. July 26, 2019). Although the Commission by rule authorizes TT&C operations for GSO satellites during the orbit-raising phase, it has not yet adopted a similar rule for NGSO systems (though one is currently under consideration). See 47 C.F.R. § 25.282; Mitigation of Orbital Debris in the New Space Age, FCC 18-159, ¶ 70 (rel. Nov. 19, 2018). ~ SpaceX Services currently has applications pending for six Ku-band gateway earth stations (located in North Bend, WA; Conrad, MT; Merrillan, WI; Greenville, PA; Redmond, WA; and Hawthorne, CA) and one TT&C earth station (located in Brewster, WA). SpaceX Services received complementary STAs for these earth stations to communicate with the SpaceX NGSO satellites.

the Commission’s rules and Article 21 of the ITU Radio Regulations, which the Commission has found sufficient to protect GSO systems and terrestrial systems, respectively, against harmful interference. In the extremely unlikely event that harmful interference should occur due to transmissions to or from its earth station, SpaceX will take all reasonable steps to eliminate the interference. Should an issue arise, SpaceX can be reached at satellite-operators pager(~spacex.com, which links to the pagers of appropriate technical personnel 24/7. Accordingly, SpaceX requests that the Commission extend the STA for these space stations for up to an additional 30 days.


Document Created: 2019-09-05 15:27:27
Document Modified: 2019-09-05 15:27:27
© 2024 FCC.report
This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the FCC