Attachment Exhibit C

This document pretains to SES-MFS-20150605-00324 for Modification w/ Foreign Satellite (earth station) on a Satellite Earth Station filing.

IBFS_SESMFS2015060500324_1090057

                                         Exhibit C
                          Application Narrative and Waiver Request

               Pursuant to Section 25.117(c) of the Commission’s rules, LightSquared
Subsidiary LLC, Debtor-in-Possession (“LightSquared”) hereby requests authority to modify the
L-Band earth station license that is the subject of this application (the “License”) in connection
with the planned change in orbital location of MSAT-1 at a new location just one degree away.
The License authorizes LightSquared to provide L-Band mobile satellite service (“MSS”) over
MSAT-1, a Canadian-licensed spacecraft that currently is located at 106.5º W.L. The
Commission granted market access for L-Band operations over MSAT-1 in 1999. 1 MSAT-1 is
expected to be relocated from its current orbital position to 107.5º W.L. in September 2015,
pursuant to Industry Canada authority that currently is being sought. LightSquared plans to
continue to make available L-Band service over MSAT-1 at its new location. Grant of the
application would facilitate the planned relocation, enable the continued availability of service
over MSAT-1, and otherwise serve the public interest.

                Under Commission precedent, this request is properly processed outside the
modified processing round often used for NGSO-like MSS applications, as the L-Band MSS
service link frequencies to be used by MSAT-1 at its new orbital location are the same
frequencies already authorized for use by the satellite just one degree away. 2

                As discussed in the attached Technical Annex, continued operations of this L-
Band earth station over the relocated MSAT-1 would comply with the Commission’s technical
rules governing L-Band MSS operations. An updated Schedule S reflecting the relocation of the
satellite and associated technical changes related to the L-Band operations of the satellite is being
provided with this application. 3 No other change to the authorized parameters of the facilities
covered by the License is contemplated.



1
       See Applications of SatCOM Systems, Inc., et al., Order and Authorization, 14 FCC Rcd
       20798 (1998).
2
       See, e.g., Mobile Satellite Ventures Subsidiary LLC, Order and Authorization, DA 05-
       1492 ¶ 14 (rel. May 23, 2005); see also Mobile Satellite Ventures Subsidiary LLC, Order
       and Authorization, DA 05-50 ¶ 8 (rel. Jan. 10, 2005) (processing a new L-Band MSS
       satellite application to operate at a different location and serve a different geographic area
       without instituting a modified processing round as long as the same frequencies are used).
3
       This application pertains only to L-Band operations of MSAT-1. Information regarding
       the primary TT&C and feeder-link operations of MSAT-1, which involve facilities
       located outside of the United States and operate pursuant to authority from and oversight
       by Industry Canada, are provided for informational purposes only. See Establishment of
       Policies and Service Rules for the Mobile Satellite Service in the 2 GHz Band, Report and
       Order, 15 FCC Rcd 16127 ¶¶ 86-87 (2000) (market access requests for foreign-licensed
       satellite need not cover operations outside the United States); IBFS File No. SAT-PPL-
       20060516-00061, at 1 n.2 (granted Jan. 18, 2007) (disclosing existence of Ka-band
       payload on Anik F3 but not seeking market access for the Ka-band payload and providing


                 LightSquared requests, to the extent necessary, waiver of that portion of Section
25.283(c) of the Commission’s rules that requires the relief of pressure vessels at a satellite’s
end-of-life. 4 MSAT-1 was launched in 1996, nearly a decade before the Commission’s orbital
debris mitigation rules became effective on October 12, 2004. 5 Accordingly, it is no longer
possible to change the design of the satellite. MSAT-1 is a Boeing Model 601 satellite, which is
not designed to discharge fully every pressure vessel upon end-of-life. Rather, the standard de-
orbiting procedure for the Boeing Model 601, which would be employed in the case of MSAT-
1, calls for helium tanks to be isolated and vented to a very low level of pressurization (i.e., a few
hundred kPa). This design element related to a vessel that holds an inert gas does not
appreciably increase the potential for accidental explosions during or after a spacecraft’s
mission.

                Notably, the Commission previously has waived Section 25.283(c) in the case of
unlaunched satellites with similar design elements where it was impractical to effect a redesign
of such satellites. 6 In the case of MSAT-1, which already was in-orbit at the time Section
25.283(c) went into effect, the case for waiver is even more compelling. Waiver also is
appropriate in this case because it would not undermine the purpose of the rule; as explained
above, MSAT-1’s satellite design appropriately minimizes the risk of accidental explosion
during and after completion of mission, consistent with the Commission’s rules. Indeed, the
Boeing 601 spacecraft bus (and other spacecraft buses with similar helium tank designs) has
been in commercial service for about 20 years without incidents involving accidental explosions.

                Finally, as discussed in the accompanying Technical Annex, LightSquared is
requesting a partial waiver of Section 25.114(c) of the Commission’s rules to allow flexibility to
provide certain information that is not readily captured by the form Schedule S submitted with
this application, and which represent unique aspects of MSAT-1. 7


       complete technical information only regarding the C- and Ku-Band operations of the
       spacecraft).
4
       47 C.F.R. § 25.283(c). Under Section 1.3 of the Commission’s rules, the Commission
       has authority to waive its rules for good cause. 47 C.F.R. § 1.3. Good cause exists if
       “special circumstances warrant a deviation from the general rule and such deviation will
       serve the public interest.” Northeast Cellular Tel. Co. v. FCC, 897 F.2d 1164, 1166
       (D.C. Cir. 1990). In determining whether a waiver is appropriate, the Commission
       should “take into account considerations of hardship, equity, or more effective
       implementation of overall policy.” WAIT Radio v. FCC, 418 F.2d 1153, 1159 (D.C. Cir.
       1969), cert. denied, 409 U.S. 1027 (1972).
5
       See Mitigation of Orbital Debris, 69 Fed. Reg. 54581-89 (Sept. 9, 2004).
6
       See, e.g., Stamp Grant, IBFS File No. SAT-MOD-20080630-00133, at Condition 3
       (granted Sept. 2, 2008) (granting waiver of venting requirement and noting that “Galaxy
       12 was launched before Section 25.283(c) became effective”); see also Stamp Grant,
       IBFS File No. SAT-LOA-20090807-00085 (granted Dec. 15, 2009) (granting waiver of
       venting requirement for DIRECTV 12/RB2-A).
7
       47 C.F.R. § 25.114(c).

                                                  2


                                     TECHNICAL ANNEX

       The Canadian-licensed MSAT-1 satellite (licensed by Industry Canada to SkyTerra

(Canada) Inc.) currently is authorized to provide service to the United States in the L Band from

106.5º W.L. 1 This application seeks authority to provide L-Band service over MSAT-1 from a

location just one degree away, at 107.5º W.L. This application does not request authorization for

new frequencies, any other change in the technical parameters of MSAT-1, or any other change

in the currently authorized earth station parameters defined in the License. This technical annex

provides information not contained in the Schedule S associated with this application, or

otherwise not provided in connection with the prior applications for authority referenced above,

which have included all of the information required of L-Band MSS applicants under Section

25.114(d)(8) of the Commission’s rules.

       The MSAT-1 satellite provides MSS to North America in conjunction with a variety of

ground segment facilities. While the system-wide capacity depends on the mix of traffic types,

the beam configurations used, and the geographic distribution of traffic, the design capacity is

1820 channels in the L Band.




1
       See, e.g., TMI Communications and Company, L.P., 14 FCC Rcd 20798 (1999) (granting
       TMI MET license to access MSAT-1, Call Sign E980179), aff’d sub nom., AMSC
       Subsidiary Corp. v. FCC, 216 F.3d 1154 (D.C. Cir. 2000), modified, 15 FCC Rcd 24467
       (2000); TMI Communications and Company, L.P., 15 FCC Rcd 18117 (2000) (granting
       TMI MET license to access MSAT-1, Call Sign E990133); Motient Services Inc., et al.,
       Order and Authorization, DA 01-2732, File No. SAT-ASG-20010302-00017 et al.
       (November 21, 2001) (granting assignment of TMI MET licenses to MSV); Mobile
       Satellite Ventures Subsidiary LLC, Order and Authorization, DA 01-2745 (November 23,
       2001) (authorizing earth stations assigned to MSV to communicate with MSAT-1);
       Mobile Satellite Ventures Subsidiary LLC, Application for Modification, File No. SES-
       MOD-20020906-01531 (granted February 3, 2003) (authorizing use of MSAT-1 in the
       lower L Band).


       MSAT-1 currently operates at 106.5º W.L. and would relocate to 107.5° W.L. pursuant to

authority that is being sought from Industry Canada. The satellite has been operating in inclined

orbit mode since July 2007; as of May 1, 2015, the inclination has been 6.5°. The satellite has ±

0.05° East-West station keeping volume. U.S. market access has been granted for the following

L-Band frequencies: 1530-1544 MHz & 1545-1559 MHz (Space-to-Earth) and 1631.5-1645.5

MHz & 1646.5-1660.5 MHz (Earth-to-Space).

       The primary TT&C and feeder link earth stations that communicate with the MSAT-1

satellite are located in Allan Park, Ontario, Canada. 2 Limited technical specifications related to

those ground segment operations are provided in the Schedule S attached to this application for

informational purposes.

       LightSquared provides the following orbital debris mitigation assessment out of an

abundance of caution as market access was granted for MSAT-1 at 106.5º W.L. before the

Commission’s orbital debris rules came into effect. LightSquared has assessed and limited the

amount of debris released in a planned manner during normal operations. MSAT-1 has been

launched and is operating at its currently authorized position. LightSquared does not intend to

release debris during the planned relocation of MSAT-1 or in the course of its operations at

107.5º W.L. LightSquared has considered the possibility of MSAT-1 becoming a source of

debris by collisions with small debris or meteoroids that could cause loss of control of the

spacecraft and prevent post-mission disposal. LightSquared has addressed the possibility of

collision by ensuring that critical spacecraft components are located inside the protective body of
2
       TT&C and feeder-link operations utilize Ku-Band spectrum. As the primary ground
       segment facilities for those operations are located outside of the United States and are
       subject to licensing and/or oversight by Industry Canada, they are outside the scope of
       this application. LightSquared does not seek authority to conduct TT&C or feeder-link
       operations with MSAT-1 from the United States during or after its relocation to 107.5º
       W.L.


                                                 2


the spacecraft and are properly shielded and by ensuring that satellite subsystems have redundant

components. For example, omnidirectional antennas are mounted on opposite sides of the

satellite, and either antenna will be sufficient to support orbit raising. The command receivers

and decoders, telemetry encoders and transmitters, bus control electronics, and power subsystem

components are fully redundant, physically separated, and located within a shielded area to

minimize the probability of the spacecraft becoming a source of debris due to a collision.

       LightSquared has assessed and will limit the probability of accidental explosions during

and after completion of mission operations. The MSAT-1 satellite is designed to minimize the

potential for accidental explosions through propellant leakage and fuel and oxidizer mixing or

other means. Propellant tanks and thrusters are isolated using redundant valves, and electrical

power systems are shielded in accordance with standard industry practices. During the mission,

batteries and various critical areas of the propulsion subsystem will be monitored to avoid

conditions that could result in explosion. After MSAT-1 reaches its final disposal orbit, and

except to the limited extent described in the narrative and waiver request associated with this

application, all on-board sources of stored energy will be removed by depleting all propellant

tanks, venting all pressurized systems, discharging batteries, and turning off all active units.

       LightSquared has assessed and limited the probability of MSAT-1 becoming a source of

debris by collisions with large debris or other operational space stations. LightSquared is

unaware of other satellites operating at 107.5º W.L. Accordingly, operation of MSAT-1 at that

location with ± 0.05° East-West station keeping volume is not expected to overlap with the

station keeping volume of other operators.




                                                  3


       MSAT-1 was launched in 1996 and, therefore, is not subject to the Commission’s

disposal altitude requirements. 3 Nevertheless, SkyTerra (Canada) Inc. (the Canadian licensee of

MSAT-1) intends to dispose of MSAT-1 by moving it to a minimum altitude of 300 km above

the GSO orbit at the end of its operational life. Approximately 10 kg of propellant will be

allocated and reserved for final orbit raising maneuvers to this altitude, even accounting for the

relocation of the spacecraft to 107.5º W.L. The reserved fuel figure was determined by the

spacecraft manufacturer and provided for in the propellant budget. To calculate this figure, the

manufacturer used an equation in which the expected mass of the satellite at end of life and the

required delta-velocity to achieve the desired orbit were inputted. This calculation includes an

assessment of fuel gauging uncertainty and has includes margin for uncertainty in remaining

propellant.

       To the extent necessary, a partial waiver of the following subsections of Section

25.114(c) of the Commission’s rules is requested to allow flexibility to provide the following

information, which is not readily captured by the Schedule S form, in this annex instead:

       Schedule S, Question S1:

       (a) MSAT-1 is a Mobile Satellite Service (MSS) satellite and does not have traditional

transponders in the sense of a Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) satellite. On MSAT-1, the 200 MHz

of up and downlink feeder-link spectrum is mapped to 29 MHz of MSS spectrum in each of 6

beams covering North America. Therefore, “1” is entered in item g, the number of transponders,

and “29 MHz” is entered in item h, total transponder bandwidth.




3
       See 47 C.F.R. § 25.283(d).


                                                 4


       (b) Transmit Maximum EIRP (dBW) for the LA1 and LA2 beams – The value entered is

the maximum aggregate EIRP for MSAT-1, even though that power would operationally be

spread over all the downlink beams.

       (c) Minimum SFD – The forward communications paths on the satellite will be operated

only in a linear mode, well backed-off from saturation.




                                                5


                                     Technical Certification

       I, James Thorpe, Senior Engineer at LightSquared, certify under penalty of perjury that:

(i) I am the technically qualified person with overall responsibility for preparation of the

technical information contained in this application and (ii) I am familiar with the requirements of

Part 25 of the Commission’s rules, and the information contained in the application is true and

correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.

                                                              /s/ James Thorpe

Dated: June 5, 2015



Document Created: 2015-06-05 14:31:00
Document Modified: 2015-06-05 14:31:00

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