The FCC is authorized to issue experimental operating authority for space and earth station licenses. These licenses are generally issued for the purpose of experimentation, product development and market trials. Experimental licensees are not permitted to provide commercial service, charge fees, or receive payments for products or services of operation.
The rules and regulations for the experimental radio service are contained in part 5 of the Commission’s Rules (CFR Title 47) and are administered by the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology in coordination with the FCC’s Space Bureau. Part 5 experimental space station applications and part 5 experimental earth station applications are filed through the FCC’s Experimental Licensing System (ELS). These applications can request use of any radio frequency band. However, applicants are strongly encouraged to consider bands allocated to space services. Experimental operating authority is provided only on an unprotected, non-interference basis (NIB).
The FCC coordinates requests to operate on shared federal frequency bands with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), an Executive Branch agency whose responsibilities include managing the federal use of spectrum. It is important to note that if your space station will be operated by a federal agency, applications should be filed with your federal sponsor through the NTIA, not the FCC. (See information on Coordination.)
As described in our overview of the FCC’s Space Station and Earth Station license process, applicants seeking to conduct experiments for six months or less should file a Special Temporary Authority (STA) application under part 5, while applicants seeking to conduct experiments longer than six months should file an Experimental Application using Form 442. Applicants should review the checklists below which include these forms and additional application requirements. Experimental license applications require the submission of an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) satellite network filing and orbital debris mitigation (ODM) plan prior to grant, as well as the commitment to pay ITU cost recovery fees. Templates for these documents can be found in the following checklists: