Sec. 97.207  Space station.

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[[Page 598]]

    (g) The license grantee of each space station must make two written 
pre-space station notifications to the International Bureau, FCC, 
Washington DC 20554. Each notification must be in accord with the 
provisions of Articles S9 and S11 of the ITU Radio Regulations.
    (1) The first notification is required no less than 27 months prior 
to initiating space station transmissions and must specify the 
information required by Appendix S4 and Resolution No. 642 of the 
International Telecommunication Union Radio Regulations. The first 
notification shall also include a description of the design and 
operational strategies the space station will use to mitigate orbital 
debris, including the following information:
    (i) A statement that the space station operator has assessed and 
limited the amount of debris released in a planned manner during normal 
operations, and has assessed and limited the probability of the space 
station becoming a source of debris by collisions with small debris or 
meteoroids that could cause loss of control and prevent post-mission 
disposal;
    (ii) A statement that the space station operator has assessed and 
limited the probability of accidental explosions during and after 
completion of mission operations. This statement must include a 
demonstration that debris generation will not result from the conversion 
of energy sources on board the spacecraft into energy that fragments the 
spacecraft. Energy sources include chemical, pressure, and kinetic 
energy. This demonstration should address whether stored energy will be 
removed at the spacecraft's end of life, by depleting residual fuel and 
leaving all fuel line valves open, venting any pressurized system, 
leaving all batteries in a permanent discharge state, and removing any 
remaining source of stored energy, or through other equivalent 
procedures specifically disclosed in the application;
    (iii) A statement that the space station operator has assessed and 
limited the probability of the space station becoming a source of debris 
by collisions with large debris or other operational space stations. 
Where a space station will be launched into a low-Earth orbit that is 
identical, or very similar, to an orbit used by other space stations, 
the statement must include an analysis of the potential risk of 
collision and a description of what measures the space station operator 
plans to take to avoid in-orbit collisions. If the space station 
operator is relying on coordination with another system, the statement 
must indicate what steps have been taken to contact, and ascertain the 
likelihood of successful coordination of physical operations with, the 
other system. The statement must disclose the accuracy--if any--with 
which orbital parameters of non-geostationary satellite orbit space 
stations will be maintained, including apogee, perigee, inclination, and 
the right ascension of the ascending node(s). In the event that a system 
is not able to maintain orbital tolerances, i.e., it lacks a propulsion 
system for orbital maintenance, that fact should be included in the 
debris mitigation disclosure. Such systems must also indicate the 
anticipated evolution over time of the orbit of the proposed satellite 
or satellites. Where a space station requests the assignment of a 
geostationary-Earth orbit location, it must assess whether there are any 
known satellites located at, or reasonably expected to be located at, 
the requested orbital location, or assigned in the vicinity of that 
location, such that the station keeping volumes of the respective 
satellites might overlap. If so, the statement must include a statement 
as to the identities of those parties and the measures that will be 
taken to prevent collisions;
    (iv) A statement detailing the post-mission disposal plans for the 
space station at end of life, including the quantity of fuel--if any--
that will be reserved for post-mission disposal maneuvers. For 
geostationary-Earth orbit space stations, the statement must disclose 
the altitude selected for a post-mission disposal orbit and the 
calculations that are used in deriving the disposal altitude. The 
statement must also include a casualty risk assessment if planned post-
mission disposal involves atmospheric re-entry of the space station. In 
general, an assessment should include an estimate as to whether portions 
of the spacecraft will survive re-entry and reach the surface of the 
Earth, as well as an estimate of the resulting probability of human 
casualty.
    (2) The second notification is required no less than 5 months prior 
to initiating space station transmissions and must specify the 
information required by Appendix S4 and Resolution No. 642 of the Radio 
Regulations.

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