NTIA Releases Report on Spectrum Needs of Space-Based Ops

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The National Telecommunications and Information Administration released what it says is the first of its kind report documenting current and projected spectrum uses by space-based systems. Space-based technologies power navigation services, accurate weather forecasts, rural internet access, public safety communications, national security objectives, and more. They depend on RF spectrum for controlling space operations and for relaying communications and data to and from Earth.

NTIA hopes the data will help inform policymakers and others regarding the key roles these systems perform. It highlights the economic, social and life-saving benefits of the communications, remote sensing, radio astronomy, and position, navigation, and timing services that these systems provide. A recent review by the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis found the U.S. space economy added $108.9 billion in value to the current-dollar GDP.  

Take the Global Positioning System (GPS), a U.S. government satellite system that provides essential location and navigation services to a range of consumer devices, including mobile phones. GPS also allows for the exact synchronization of computer, telecommunications and financial networks, and it plays a significant role in coordinating the elaborate ballet of orbiting satellites, according to report author Charles Cooper, Associate Administrator, Office of Spectrum Management for NTIA. The report, titled The Spectrum Needs of U.S.-Based Space Operations,” cites data indicating that GPS impacts more than $1.4 trillion in the U.S. economy.

Beyond GPS, other space-based systems gather data needed for accurate weather forecasts, monitoring flooding and fire conditions, safe transportation and aviation systems, and other elements of public safety and economic security. The nation’s military makes extensive use of space-based systems for its global operations.

The satellite broadband internet market, moreover, has the potential to substantially expand through the launching of multiple “mega-constellations” of low-earth-orbit satellites. The report also explores the possibilities for space-based resource utilization, power-generation and manufacturing.  

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