The US government has imposed its first penalty ever on a business for neglecting to remove debris orbiting the Earth.
The Federal Communications Commission issued a penalty of $150,000 (£125,000) to Dish Network for their dereliction in not relocating an older satellite to a distance far enough from the other satellites currently in operation.
The company accepted responsibility for its EchoStar-7 satellite and agreed to a "compliance program" with the Federal Communications Commission.
Pieces of technology that are no longer being used but are instead orbiting the Earth are referred to as space junk, and they can result in potential collisions.
The more specific name for it is "space debris," which includes items such as defunct satellites and components of spacecraft.
The FCC declared that Dish's satellite may be a hazard to other satellites that are going around the planet at its present altitude.
The EchoStar-7 satellite, which debuted in 2002, was in geostationary orbit at a height of 22,000 miles (36,000km) from the Earth's surface.
The intended destination of the satellite was 186 miles away from Earth, but due to being deprived of fuel, in 2022, it only managed to make a move of 76 miles before becoming inoperative.
"Loyaan Egal, head of the FCC's enforcement bureau, noted that as the utilization of satellites and the space economy become more extensive, it is important to make sure that operators adhere to their obligations," said.
This settlement is a significant milestone, demonstrating the FCC has the power and proficiency to implement its critically essential regulations concerning space debris.
The punishment of $150,000 is only a very small percentage of Dish's total income from 2022, which amounted to $16.7bn.
Despite this, Dr Megan Argo, senior lecturer in astrophysics at the University of Central Lancashire, believes the fine may still impact other satellite operators.
Dr Argo noted that the industry will certainly take notice of the fact that regulatory powers have been employed for the first time.
Given their prior usage of it, it is probable that they will use it again.
She mentioned that having more items in orbit increases the risk of collisions at high speeds, which could lead to more debris striking other satellites, which could then cause an even greater cascade effect.
It is believed that over 10,000 satellites have been sent to space since the first one in 1957, and more than half of them are no longer functioning.
Nasa reports that there are in excess of 25,000 pieces of space debris that each measure more than 10cm in length.
In July, Bill Nelson, the head of Nasa, told the BBC that the space junk situation was "serious", and consequently, the International Space Station had to be relocated in order to avoid fragments of debris soaring past.
He noted that even something as small as a paint chip moving at orbital speed of 17,500 miles per hour could prove deadly if an astronaut were to encounter it during a spacewalk.
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