---
type: source
title: "FCC 'Space Modernization for the 21st Century' NPRM: Part 100 Licensing with Mandatory SSA Data Sharing Proposed (December 2025)"
author: "Federal Communications Commission / Federal Register / Morgan Lewis"
url: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/05/2025-22019/space-modernization-for-the-21st-century
date: 2025-12-05
domain: space-development
secondary_domains: []
format: article
status: processed
processed_by: astra
processed_date: 2026-05-10
priority: medium
tags: [FCC, Part-100, space-licensing, NPRM, SSA, debris-mitigation, governance, constellation, orbital-debris, regulatory-framework]
intake_tier: research-task
extraction_model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5"
---

## Content

**Sources:**
- Federal Register: "Space Modernization for the 21st Century" NPRM — December 5, 2025
- FCC document: FCC-25-69A3.pdf — full NPRM text
- SatNews: "FCC Initiates 'Part 100' Rulemaking to Overhaul Space Licensing Framework" — December 2025
- Morgan Lewis (April 2026): "Modernizing Space: FCC Pushes to Support and Accelerate the Space Economy"
- Astrolytics (December 2025): "FCC Space Licensing Changes in 2026: What CubeSat and SmallSat Operators Need to Know"
- Communications Daily (January 22, 2026): "Space Licensing Overhaul Met With Numerous Suggestions for Changes"
- ITIF: Comments to FCC (January 20, 2026)

### What Is Part 100?

The FCC's NPRM proposes to replace its legacy Part 25 satellite licensing rules with a new "Part 100" framework, described as a "licensing assembly line" to process satellite applications more efficiently.

**Published:** December 5, 2025 in Federal Register
**Comment deadline:** January 20, 2026
**Reply comment deadline:** February 18, 2026
**Current status:** NPRM stage — still proposed rulemaking (as of May 2026)

### Key Proposed Provisions

**1. Space Situational Awareness (SSA) Data Sharing — NEW MANDATORY REQUIREMENT**
- The NPRM proposes that space station operators **must share SSA data** (orbital position, health status, collision avoidance maneuvers)
- This is the most significant governance provision: it would make constellation health data mandatory rather than voluntary
- Directly addresses the transparency problem that SpaceX's non-endorsement of WEF guidelines highlighted — if SSA sharing is mandatory under Part 100, SpaceX's reporting practices become a legal requirement, not a voluntary best practice

**2. License Terms Extended to 20 Years**
- Most space and earth stations would receive 20-year licenses (up from shorter current terms)
- Reduces administrative burden for operators while potentially reducing regulatory oversight frequency

**3. Expanded Modification Rights Without Prior Approval**
- Operators could make a broader range of modifications without filing new applications
- Reduces regulatory friction for constellation adjustments

**4. Deorbit Provisions (comment-period developments)**
- NASA commented during the comment period: large constellations should be **required to use propulsion to deorbit** (not passive drag)
- This would require active deorbit for all large operators — aligning with the FCC's existing 5-year rule but adding an enforcement mechanism for satellite-by-satellite compliance

**5. Framing: "Support and Accelerate Space Economy"**
- Morgan Lewis (April 2026) characterizes the FCC's overall direction as pro-commercial acceleration, not regulatory tightening
- The governance improvements (SSA sharing) are packaged within a deregulatory/streamlining framework

### Relationship to SpaceX Governance Strategy

SpaceX has publicly advocated for **mandatory semi-annual FCC reporting for all operators** — which aligns precisely with the Part 100 SSA data sharing proposal. SpaceX's governance strategy (per May 9 research): supports mandatory transparency requirements for industry (which it already meets) while declining voluntary governance standards (WEF) that would subject SpaceX to external accountability.

If Part 100 passes with mandatory SSA sharing:
- SpaceX benefits: competitors' non-compliance becomes publicly visible
- SpaceX has minimal additional burden: already sharing this data informally
- SpaceX's WEF non-endorsement becomes moot: the data sharing requirement is now regulatory, not voluntary

**The strategic implication:** SpaceX may be supporting Part 100's mandatory SSA provisions as a regulatory substitute for WEF voluntary standards — achieving industry transparency while eliminating the governance authority of non-US bodies over its operations.

---

## Agent Notes

**Why this matters:** The FCC Part 100 NPRM is the most significant pending regulatory action for LEO constellation governance. If it passes with mandatory SSA data sharing, it partially closes the voluntary governance gap by making transparency mandatory. However, it doesn't address: (1) active debris removal requirements, (2) atmospheric deposition from reentry, (3) international operators who don't need FCC licenses. The governance gap partially narrows (US-licensed operators) while remaining open (non-US operators, atmospheric chemistry).

**What surprised me:** The framing is explicitly pro-acceleration ("support and accelerate space economy"), not pro-regulation. The FCC under the current administration is treating Part 100 as a deregulatory simplification, not a governance tightening — even though the SSA data sharing proposal IS a new requirement. This makes the regulatory outcome uncertain: the data sharing requirement could be dropped if industry pressure in the comment period was sufficient.

**What I expected but didn't find:** Final rule text. The NPRM comment period closed February 2026; as of May 2026, no final rule has been published. The FCC may publish a final rule in Q3-Q4 2026.

**KB connections:**
- [[space governance gaps are widening not narrowing because technology advances exponentially while institutional design advances linearly]] — Part 100 represents the most significant governance advancement in US space regulation in years, but it's still at NPRM stage 5 months after publication
- [[the Artemis Accords replace multilateral treaty-making with bilateral norm-setting to create governance through coalition practice rather than universal consensus]] — Part 100 continues the US pattern of unilateral/domestic governance rather than multilateral coordination

**Extraction hints:**
- **CLAIM CANDIDATE:** "The FCC's 'Space Modernization for the 21st Century' NPRM (Part 100, December 2025) proposes mandatory Space Situational Awareness data sharing for all US-licensed operators — the first binding transparency requirement for constellation health data that, if finalized, would achieve through regulatory mandate what WEF voluntary guidelines failed to achieve through consensus"
- Confidence: experimental (NPRM only, final rule not yet published; content may change)
- Cross-check with any final rule publication in Q3-Q4 2026 before extracting a claim with higher confidence

**Context:** The FCC NPRM is a public document (Federal Register) with a formal comment record. Morgan Lewis's April 2026 analysis is from a major space law firm doing regulatory due diligence for clients — useful signal of how industry is interpreting the rulemaking.

## Curator Notes (structured handoff for extractor)
PRIMARY CONNECTION: [[space governance gaps are widening not narrowing because technology advances exponentially while institutional design advances linearly]]
WHY ARCHIVED: The FCC Part 100 NPRM with mandatory SSA data sharing is the most significant pending governance development in US commercial space regulation. It directly addresses the voluntary governance failure identified in the WEF non-endorsement finding. But it's still proposed — flag confidence as experimental until final rule is published.
EXTRACTION HINT: Don't claim the rule is in effect — it's still NPRM stage. The claim is about what's proposed and how it interacts with the voluntary governance landscape. Flag for update when final rule is published (likely Q3-Q4 2026).
