majorregulatoryupdated 23 Jul2026-07-01

FCC adopts satellite licensing overhaul, creates 'assembly line' review

The FCC voted to replace Part 25 with Part 100, calling it a 'licensing assembly line' for satellite operators.

// sources · 4 attached

what happened

The FCC voted July 22, 2026 to adopt the Space Modernization Order on a unanimous 3-0 vote, replacing the legacy Part 25 satellite rules with a new Part 100, per Via Satellite and SpaceNews. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the new rules allow multiple satellites to be co-located at a single orbital slot and streamline licensing for emerging applications like transfer vehicles and commercial lunar landers. "They eliminate guessing games and hidden requirements," Carr said in a statement during the meeting. The vote went ahead despite a July 21 letter from the bipartisan leadership of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee asking the FCC to postpone it and confine its rules to Congress's spectrum-licensing authority, per SpacePolicyOnline's Marcia Smith.

why it matters

Faster, more predictable FCC review timelines directly affect how quickly constellation operators can launch replacement or upgraded satellites, a recurring complaint from operators competing against faster-moving foreign regulators. The carve-out for orbital data center constellations signals the FCC is treating that category as a separate, more scrutinized regulatory track.