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Regulation · Safety standard

FCC 5-Year LEO Deorbit Rule

FCC rule requiring low-Earth-orbit satellites (at or below 2,000 km) to deorbit within 5 years of mission end, replacing the prior 25-year guideline; adopted 2022-09-29, effective 2024-09-29. Governs orbital-debris mitigation (alongside FCC spectrum licensing).

Jurisdiction: United States · Effective 2024-09-29

Machine-readable surfaces

Common questions

What does FCC 5-Year LEO Deorbit Rule cover?
FCC rule requiring low-Earth-orbit satellites (at or below 2,000 km) to deorbit within 5 years of mission end, replacing the prior 25-year guideline; adopted 2022-09-29, effective 2024-09-29. Governs orbital-debris mitigation (alongside FCC spectrum licensing).
Where does FCC 5-Year LEO Deorbit Rule apply?
FCC 5-Year LEO Deorbit Rule is recorded as a safety_standard applying in United States on the DEPLOY registry.
When did FCC 5-Year LEO Deorbit Rule take effect?
FCC 5-Year LEO Deorbit Rule is recorded as effective September 29, 2024 on the DEPLOY registry.
Is FCC 5-Year LEO Deorbit Rule still in effect?
FCC 5-Year LEO Deorbit Rule is currently in effect and applies to covered operators in the named jurisdiction.
What types of robots does FCC 5-Year LEO Deorbit Rule apply to?
FCC 5-Year LEO Deorbit Rule is recorded as applying to space on the DEPLOY registry.
Which robot models on the DEPLOY registry fall under FCC 5-Year LEO Deorbit Rule?
8 robot models on the DEPLOY registry match the form-factor scope of FCC 5-Year LEO Deorbit Rule: ADRAS-J, Astrobee, Blue Ghost Lander, CIMON and 4 others. Form-factor scope match does not by itself establish compliance status; review the underlying primary sources for each operator.
Methodology: Claimed (not independently verified) · no sources on file · last reviewed 2026-06-05

Verification posture

Claimed (not independently verified)

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-06-05

Architectural position

Cohort: space

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for FCC 5-Year LEO Deorbit Rule.

Canonical ID ed6cf23e-a65a-4ffc-abe9-047acf980b25