EchoStar secures rights to spectrum it plans to sell to SpaceX

EchoStar says it has met the regulatory conditions to maintain the spectrum it is selling to Musk's rocketeers.

According to EchoStar, its subsidiary, EchoStar Global Australia, "achieved this by successfully completing the Bringing Back Into Use (BBIU) process for the company's International Telecommunications Union (ITU) SIRION-1 satellite filing as of October 1, 2025."

EchoStar Global Australia started the BBIU period following the launch of the Lyra-4 satellite and operating it from an altitude of 650km from July 3 to October 1, 2025.

"Completing the BBIU process means all other operators in overlapping frequencies must coordinate with EchoStar under SIRION-1."

The BBIU process [PDF] is a requirement for operators to maintain spectrum rights that might otherwise lapse. Its purpose is to stop operators from sitting on unused spectrum. It also means that holders can sell those rights to other companies.

The satelitte was launched by Rocket Lab on June ...