---
title: "Researcher: SpaceX Satellite Plans Break US Environmental Law"
description: "Vanderbilt University law student Ramon Ryan argues in a new paper that the FCC's approval of over 30,000 planned SpaceX satellites could've been unlawful."
date: "2020-01-16"
modified: "2020-01-16"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/researcher-spacex-satellite-break-environmental-law"
categories:
  - "Environment"
  - "Science & Energy"
  - "Space"
  - "SpaceX"
tags:
  - "satellites"
  - "SpaceX"
  - "starlink"
  - "the digest"
---

# Researcher: SpaceX Satellite Plans Break US Environmental Law

![Vanderbilt University law student Ramon Ryan argues in a new paper that the FCC's approval of over 30,000 planned SpaceX satellites could've been unlawful.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/researcher-spacex-satellite-break-environmental-law.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Mark Handley/YouTube/Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Ruining the Night Sky

Thanks to their relatively low orbit, which makes them extremely bright in the night sky, SpaceX's internet-beaming Starlink satellites are already [wreaking havoc](<https://futurism.com/scientists-spacex-satellites-threaten-astronomy-itself>) on astronomical efforts despite only having launched [a few hundred](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-deploys-60-starlink-satellites>) out of a planned 42,000 so far.

Ramon Ryan, law student at Vanderbilt University, argues in a yet to be published paper that the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) approval for the project might have been unlawful, [*Scientific American* reports](<https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-fccs-approval-of-spacexs-starlink-mega-constellation-may-have-been-unlawful/>).

"There is this law, the National Environmental Policy Act \[NEPA\], which requires federal agencies to take a hard look at their actions," Ryan told the *Scientific American*. "The FCC’s lack of review of these commercial satellite projects violates \[NEPA\], so in the most basic sense, it would be unlawful."

## Environmental Policy

NEPA was introduced in 1970 to force all federal agencies to take the environmental toll, covering anything from wildlife preservation to the effects on climate, of projects into account — a requirement that can be skirted with a special "categorical exclusion" if there's proof a certain project doesn't impact the environment.

The FCC [was granted](<https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/47/1.1306>) such an exclusion for almost all of its activities, including in space, in 1986.

Ryan argues that such an exclusion would never hold up in court. "If the FCC were sued over its noncompliance with NEPA, it would likely lose," Ryan told the *Scientific American*, as the agency has never actually been able to prove that commercial satellites don't impact the environment.

**READ MORE:** [The FCC's Approval of SpaceX's Starlink Mega Constellation May Have Been Unlawful](<https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-fccs-approval-of-spacexs-starlink-mega-constellation-may-have-been-unlawful/>) \[*Scientific American*\]

**More on Starlink:** *[Elon Musk: You’ll Connect to Starlink With “UFO on a Stick”](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-starlink-ufo-stick>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)