Articles Posted in Space

Posted
by

In an effort to more effectively keep pace with and reduce the burdens on the rapidly evolving and expanding commercial space sector, the FCC has unanimously adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) proposing a comprehensive restructuring and reform of its long-standing space and earth station licensing rules. With its breadth of scope and potential impacts across the space ecosystem, the NPRM also highlights the key role the Commission will play in advancing the Trump administration’s broader objective of enhancing American greatness in space and facilitating U.S. leadership and innovation.

In “Permissionless Innovation: The FCC’s Conceptual Shift for Space and Earth Station Licensing in the United States,” colleagues Jodi A. Goldberg and Betsy Craig explore how the NPRM is a public reminder that, through its statutory mandate to regulate the radiofrequency spectrum in the public interest, the FCC’s licensing authority over space operations has long extended beyond traditional communication satellites and their associated earth stations.

RELATED ARTICLES

Satellite Data Centers

Posted
by , and

satellite-medium-300x300Data centers … in space.

How did the “final frontier” become a genuine consideration for siting and constructing next-generation data centers? Perhaps it is the inevitable result of demand greatly outstripping supply in two of the great pillars of the data center ecosystem: real estate and power supply. As Pillsbury recently reported in the Pillsbury Guide to Data Centers, some 11,800 data centers were reported to already be operating worldwide in 2024. Yet the demand for centers is expected to rise by as much as 22% annually until 2030, placing significant constraints on the ability of operators to locate sufficient real estate to build and operate them all, obtain the necessary permits for construction and operation on a timely basis, and, significantly, ensure the availability and reliability of electricity to power and cool the components. Or perhaps growing concerns over security, resiliency and environmental impacts are driving operators and users to look for alternative solutions.

Continue Reading ›

Posted
by

Lunar-mining-1470294041-300x200With the success of the Chandrayaan-3 this August, India became the fourth country to land a spacecraft on the moon. Improved fabrication methods like 3D printing, plus larger-scale production of essential materials for remote activity, have made space technology cheaper than ever to build. Even conservative investors are financing ventures, thanks to the moon economy’s estimated $100 billion near-term market value. Many of the planned endeavors are exploratory in nature, but they could pave the way for the eventual commercialization of the moon—namely, establishing permanent bases and mining lunar water and regolith (lunar soil).

Continue Reading ›

Posted
by and

SpaceSolarRemoteInstallations-300x203Scientists have long proposed that solar electricity generation in space could be an integral component of the world’s carbon-free future. In the 1970s, a U.S. Navy experiment showed that it might be possible to capture solar power and wirelessly transmit it from outer space using microwave beams. Progress stalled after that early test—the models used were at such a massive scale that creating a real-world system felt like science fiction. Recently, amid growing concerns about power grid security and intensifying legislation around carbon emissions, renewed attention focused on a smaller, more lithe microwave transmission system. This time around, the military is not the only interested party. Scientists around the world are conducting similar research. As investors and governments stand at the edge of a fresh green power opportunity, we look at microwave power transmission and some of the projects in this emerging field.

Continue Reading ›