Starlink Wins in Legal Battle With Dish, Viasat Over Lower-Orbit Satellites

pcmag.com:

A US appeals court has rejected lawsuits from Dish Network and Viasat that tried to reverse an FCC decision permitting SpaceX to operate Starlink satellites at lower orbits. 

At issue is the FCC’s decision last year to allow SpaceX to launch 2,814 Starlink satellites into 540- to 570-kilometer orbits, down from the original 1,110- to 1,300-kilometer operational range. 

The FCC made the decision despite objections from several rival satellite operators who argued that Starlink satellites could cause radio interference. In response, both Dish and Viasat filed lawsuits, demanding the US court system overturn the FCC’s decision.   

But on Friday, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld the FCC’s original decision, and said the legal claims from both Dish and Viasat lacked merit or standing. Reuters was first to report(Opens in a new window) the news. 

During the court battle, Dish claimed the FCC had failed to fully consider how the Starlink satellites risked causing interference with Dish’s own satellite TV service. This included refusing to review reports from other outside experts.

However, in Friday’s ruling(Opens in a new window), the judges said the FCC properly followed its own procedures in determining that the risk of interference was minimal. The ruling even notes Dish itself “acknowledges that SpaceX’s desired changes pass muster under that approach.”

Viasat, on the other hand, argued the FCC should have prepared an environmental review before permitting SpaceX to operate the Starlink satellites at lower orbits. The company cited the risk of Starlink satellites colliding with its own. But the judges noted: “Viasat operates only a single satellite that flies close to SpaceX’s constellation, and