The Federal Communications Commission is planning to vote on a proposal to make spectrum available for the first time to enable commercial space launches. The FCC is set to vote on the proposal this month. The proposal would make 2021 shaped to be a record-setting year for commercial space launches. The FCC notes that there is a large reliance on private spaceports for space launch activities in this era of commercial space age.
A temporary authority is required from the FCC for commercial space launches as frequencies are allocated exclusively for federal spaceport launches, and private companies have been approved to share the spectrum on a case by case basis. The proposal would add a non-federal allocation of the spectrum that would be usable by private companies for pre launch testing and actual liftoffs.
Read more: FCC to Consider Proposal Enabling Spectrum for Commercial Space Launches