Viasat has taken issue with SpaceX’s request to lower the orbital altitude of its Starlink satellite constellation, and requested the FCC to prepare an environmental impact statement on Starlink.  In an FCC filing on Dec. 22, Viasat outlined its environmental concerns with Starlink and with SpaceX’s request to relocate the satellites to lower orbital altitudes,…

The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a $105 million (86.2 million euro) service contract with Swiss startup ClearSpace to remove orbital debris. The contract, announced Dec. 1, finalizes the ClearSpace-1 mission, which is set to remove space debris in orbit in 2025.  The ClearSpace-1 mission, will involve developing a robot-like spacecraft with four arms…

Astroscale is preparing for the launch of its end-of-life services demonstration, ELSA-d, to launch in March 2021. Astroscale announced Wednesday the mission will launch on a Soyuz rocket operated by GK Launch Services from Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan.  ELSA-d will demonstrate the technical capabilities needed for orbital debris removal. A “servicer” satellite and a “target”…

NASA has formally commented (PDF) on a request by a U.S. company to build a mega-constellation of satellites at an altitude of 720 km above the Earth's surface, citing concerns about collisions. This appears to be the first time that NASA has publicly commented on such an application for market access, which is pending before the…