Mitigation of Orbital Debris in the New Space Age, 52101-52102 [2021-20193]

Agencies

• FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 179 (Monday, September 20, 2021)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 52101-52102]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-20193]


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FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

47 CFR Parts 5 and 97

[IB Docket No. 18-313, FCC 20-54; FR ID 48757]


Mitigation of Orbital Debris in the New Space Age

AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission.

ACTION: Final rule; announcement of effective date.

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SUMMARY: In this document, the Commission announces that the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) has approved, for a period of three years, 
the information collections associated with certain rules adopted in 
the Report and Order, Mitigation of Orbital Debris in the New Space 
Age, which stated that the Commission would publish a document in the 
Federal Register announcing the effective date of those rules.

DATES: The amendments to 47 CFR 5.64(b) and 97.207(g)(1), published at 
85 FR 52422 on August 25, 2020, are effective October 20, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Merissa Velez, International Bureau, 
Satellite Division, at (202) 418-0751. For information regarding the 
PRA information collection requirements contained in the PRA, contact 
Cathy Williams, Office of Managing Director, at (202) 418-2918 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This document announces that OMB approved 
the information collection requirements in 47 CFR 5.64(b) and 
97.207(g)(1), on July 21, 2021. These rules were modified in the Report 
and Order in IB Docket No. 18-313, FCC 20-54, Mitigation of Orbital 
Debris in the New Space Age, published at 85 FR 52422 on August 25, 
2020. The Commission publishes this document as an announcement of the 
compliance date of the rules. The Report and Order also modified rules 
in part 25 and there is a separate PRA information collection review 
for the part 25 rules. Rule amendments adopted in the Report and Order 
which did not require OMB approval became effective on September 24, 
2020.
    If you have any comments on the burden estimates listed below, or 
how the Commission can improve the collections and reduce any burdens 
caused thereby, please contact Cathy Williams at [email protected] 
or Office of Managing Director, Federal Communications Commission, 45 L 
Street NE, Washington, DC 20554, regarding OMB Control Number 3060-
1013. Please include the applicable OMB Control Number(s) in your 
correspondence. The Commission will also accept your comments via email 
at [email protected].
    To request materials in accessible formats for people with 
disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), 
send an email to [email protected] or call the Consumer and Governmental 
Affairs Bureau at (202) 418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (TTY).

Synopsis

    As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3507), the FCC is notifying the public that it received final OMB 
approval on July 21, 2021, for the information collection requirements 
contained in 47 CFR 5.64(b) and 97.207(g)(1). Under 5 CFR part 1320, an 
agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it 
displays a current, valid OMB Control Number.
    No person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply 
with a collection of information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act 
that does not display a current, valid OMB Control Number. The OMB 
Control Number for the information collection requirements in these 
rules is 3060-1013.
    The foregoing notice is required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, Public Law 104-13, October 1, 1995, and 44 U.S.C. 3507.
    The total annual reporting burdens and costs for the respondents 
are as follows:
    OMB Control Number: 3060-1013.
    OMB Approval Date: July 21, 2021.
    OMB Expiration Date: July 31, 2024.
    Title: Mitigation of Orbital Debris.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit, not-for-profit 
institutions.
    Number of Respondents: 46 respondents; 46 responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 8 hours.
    Frequency of Response: On occasion reporting requirement.
    Obligation to Respond: Required to obtain or retain benefits. The 
statutory authority for this information collection is contained in 47 
U.S.C. 151, 154(i), 301, 303, 307, 308, 309, and 310.
    Total Annual Burden: 368 hours.
    Annual Cost Burden: $88,550.
    Privacy Act Impact Assessment: No impact(s).
    Nature and Extent of Confidentiality: In general, there is no need 
for confidentiality with this collection of information.
    Needs and Uses: On April 24, 2020, the Commission released a Report 
and Order in IB Docket No. 18-313, FCC 20-54, Mitigation of Orbital 
Debris in the New Space Age, (Orbital Debris Report and Order). In this 
Orbital Debris Report and Order, the Commission updated its rules 
related to orbital debris mitigation, including application 
requirements. The new rules are designed to ensure that the 
Commission's actions concerning radio communications, including 
licensing U.S. spacecraft and granting access to the U.S. market for 
non-U.S. spacecraft, mitigate the growth of orbital debris, while at 
the same time not creating undue regulatory obstacles to new satellite 
ventures. The action will help to ensure that Commission decisions are 
consistent with the public interest in space remaining viable for 
future satellites and systems and the many services that those systems 
provide to the public. The rule revisions also provide additional 
detail to applicants on what information is expected under the 
Commission's rules, which can help to increase certainty in the 
application filing process. While this information collection 
represents an overall increase in the burden hours, the information 
collection serves the public interest by ensuring that the Commission 
and public have necessary information about satellite applicants' plans 
for mitigation of orbital debris.
    Specifically, FCC 20-54 contains the new or modified information 
collection requirements listed below, applicable to applicants seeking 
experimental licenses for satellite operations under part 5 of the 
Commission's rules, as well as to license grantees under part 97 
submitting notifications to the Commission prior to launch of a 
satellite amateur station:
    (1) Existing disclosure requirements have been revised to include 
specific metrics in several areas, including: Probability that the 
space stations will become a source of debris by collision with small 
debris and meteoroids that would cause loss of control and prevent 
disposal; probability of collision between any non-geostationary orbit 
(NGSO) space station and other large objects; and casualty risk 
associated

[[Page 52102]]

with any individual spacecraft that will be disposed by atmospheric re-
entry.
    (2) Where relevant, the disclosures must include the following: Use 
of separate deployment devices, distinct from the space station launch 
vehicle, that may become a source of orbital debris; potential release 
of liquids that will persist in droplet form; and any planned proximity 
operations and debris generation that will or may result from the 
proposed operations, including any planned release of debris, the risk 
of accidental explosions, the risk of accidental collision, and 
measures taken to mitigate those risks.
    (3) The existing disclosure requirement to analyze potential 
collision risk associated with space station(s) orbits has been 
modified to specify that the disclosure identify characteristics of the 
space station(s)' orbits that may present a collision risk, including 
any planned and/or operational space stations in those orbits, and 
indicate what steps, if any, have been taken to coordinate with the 
other spacecraft or system, or what other measures the operator plans 
to use to avoid collision.
    (4) For NGSO space stations that will transit through the orbits 
used by any inhabitable spacecraft, including the International Space 
Station, the disclosure must include the design and operational 
strategies, if any, that will be used to minimize the risk of collision 
and avoid posing any operational constraints to the inhabitable 
spacecraft.
    (5) The disclosure must include a certification that upon receipt 
of a space situational awareness conjunction warning, the operator will 
review and take all possible steps to assess the collision risk, and 
will mitigate the collision risk if necessary. As appropriate, steps to 
assess and mitigate the collision risk should include, but are not 
limited to: Contacting the operator of any active spacecraft involved 
in such a warning; sharing ephemeris data and other appropriate 
operational information with any such operator; and modifying space 
station attitude and/or operations.
    (6) For NGSO space stations the disclosure must describe the extent 
of satellite maneuverability.
    (7) The disclosure must address trackability of the space 
station(s). For NGSO space stations the disclosure must also include: 
(a) How the operator plans to identify the space station(s) following 
deployment and whether the space station tracking will be active or 
passive; (b) whether, prior to deployment the space station(s) will be 
registered with the 18th Space Control Squadron or successor entity; 
and (c) the extent to which the space station operator plans to share 
information regarding initial deployment, ephemeris, and/or planned 
maneuvers with the 18th Space Control Squadron or successor entity, 
other entities that engage in space situational awareness or space 
traffic management functions, and/or other operators.
    (8) For NGSO space stations, additional disclosures must be 
provided regarding spacecraft disposal, including, for some space 
stations, a demonstration that the probability of success of the chosen 
disposal method is 0.9 or greater for any individual space station, and 
for multi-satellite systems, a demonstration including additional 
information regarding efforts to achieve a higher probability of 
success.
    These information collection requirements are contained in 47 CFR 
5.64 and 97.207.

Federal Communications Commission.
Marlene Dortch,
Secretary, Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-20193 Filed 9-17-21; 8:45 am]
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