SpaceX: FCC's Authority Too Broad in ISAM NPRM

The in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing NPRM on the FCC's February agenda (see 2401250068) gives the agency far too broad authority, SpaceX said Monday in docket 22-271. Recapping meetings held with all five commissioners' offices and the FCC Space Bureau, SpaceX said the draft NPRM provides no limiting principle for agency authority over orbital debris mitigation or the cost, reliability and safety of ISAM craft. The draft also proposes assessing planetary protection plans of all spacecraft, including non-ISAM vehicles, it said. "Such broad interpretations of the Commission’s statutory authority ... would needlessly test the bounds of the Commission’s jurisdiction," it said.