Expecting that orbital laboratories, inhabitable spacecraft, in-space repairs and many other related uses are going to have a need for greater access to the RF spectrum, the Federal Communications Commission is seeking comment on ways to make that happen. The agency voted last month to address new ways to support tracking, telemetry and command for a variety of on-the-horizon initiatives.

The FCC published the proceeding on its website, referring to the uses as [quote] “weird space stuff.” [endquote] The agency said that the proposed rulemaking is part of a larger effort to modernize policies in support of the quickly growing space sector. It encouraged comments in particular from companies involved in different aspects of lunar missions, satellite-servicing or related operations.

One of the potential frequency ranges referenced in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is frequency range 2305 MHz to 2315 MHz, which overlaps part of the amateur radio allocation on 13cm. The proposal is Docket Number 26-54.