SES Americom requested modification of its authorization for hybrid Ka/Ku-band AMC-15 to change its orbital location from 105 degrees WL to 105.05 degrees WL, to simplify station keeping at this location. SES Satellites (Gibraltar) Ltd. filed a petition to place Satcom C-4 on the Permitted Space Station List once it's transferred to Gibraltar jurisdiction. Satcom C-4 is currently positioned at the 85 degree WL orbital location where it's operated as an in-orbit spare. SES Gibraltar has received authority from the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority to operate Satcom C-4 at the nominal 105 degree WL orbital location. If Satcom C-4 is added to the Permitted List, it will be able to provide new C-band fixed satellite service to the United States from this location. To prepare for this relocation, SES Americom requested special temporary authority to drift Satcom C-4 to the 103.1 degree WL position and a separate STA to drift it from 103.1 degrees WL to 104.95 degrees WL. At that location, it filed another request for STA to conduct Telemetry, Tracking and Command operations during the relocation of the satellite. DirecTV Enterprises LLC requested an extension of its STA to continue operating its DIRECTV 6 as in-orbit spare at the 109.5 degree WL location for up to 180 days. See FCC Report SAT-00354 for additional information.
On April 12, the FCC International Bureau's Policy Branch dismissed EchoStar's request for an STA to permit it to test EchoStar 10 at 138.5 degrees WL for a period of up to 60 days. The FCC said this request was moot "in light of the prior grant of File No. STA-20060104-00002 on Feb. 3, 2006." This grant allowed EchoStar to launch and test EchoStar 10 at the 138.5-degree WL location for 60 days commencing Feb. 8, 2006. For more information on this action and another designating an ICO Satellite Services proceeding regarding satellite call sign S2651 as "permit-but-disclose" see FCC Report SAT-00355.
The FCC declared null and void Loral Skynet Corp.'s authorization to launch and operate one geostationary-satellite orbit (GSO) Ku-band satellite and four GSO Ka-band satellites for failure to meet its milestone requirements. The FCC Order (DA 06-831) said, "Loral's failure to make progress in constructing these satellites in the years since grant -- in the case of the Ku-band satellite, nine years since grant -- represents an abdication of its licenses and renders the authorizations null and void by their own terms." The frequencies and orbital locations previously assigned to Loral Skynet are available for reassignment. Ku-band frequencies 11.7-12.2 GHz and 14.0-14.5 GHz are available for reassignment at the 135 degree WL orbital location. Ka-band frequencies 18.3-18.8, 19.7-20.2, 28.35-28.6, and 29.25-30.0 GHz are available for reassignment at 139 degrees, 67 degrees, 126.5 degrees and 15 degree WL orbital locations.
