NASA OIG: NASA’s Management of Electromagnetic Spectrum
WHY WE PERFORMED THIS AUDIT
NASA relies on radio waves and other portions of the electromagnetic spectrum to communicate with the spacecraft that carry out the Agency’s space and science missions and to conduct day-to-day operations. However, the radio portion of the electromagnetic spectrum (radio spectrum) is a finite resource, and an ever-growing number of communications devices has increased the demand for usable radio spectrum. To avoid interference, multiple users generally cannot transmit radio signals at the same frequencies, at the same time, to the same location. Accordingly, several domestic and international organizations manage radio spectrum among users, including Federal agencies and commercial entities.
WHAT WE FOUND
In light of this growing demand, and because the radio spectrum and other portions of the electromagnetic spectrum are vital to NASA’s missions, we initiated this audit to review the Agency’s efforts to manage its electromagnetic spectrum allocation. To complete this work, we visited five NASA Centers and NASA Headquarters; interviewed NASA, U.S. Air Force, Federal Communications Commission, and National Telecommunications and Information Administration officials; and reviewed relevant policies, procedures, laws, and regulations.
Overall, NASA is effectively managing challenges to its radio spectrum access. NASA missions operate in a constantly evolving electromagnetic spectrum environment, and the Agency faces several challenges in ensuring its current and future missions have adequate access to the radio spectrum. NASA must comply with Federal initiatives designed to make additional radio spectrum available to the mobile broadband industry and share radio spectrum historically reserved for Federal users with the emerging commercial space launch industry. In addition, the proliferation of small satellites (SmallSats) for educational or technology development projects is straining already congested radio spectrum resources. Finally, future NASA missions are expected to require higher data transmission rates, which could overwhelm the frequency band allocations NASA currently uses.
WHAT WE RECOMMENDED
NASA has addressed these challenges by collaborating with other Federal agencies and commercial industry users and regulators worldwide, pursuing new technologies, and issuing guidance to Agency radio spectrum users. However, NASA’s space flight program management policies do not include key electromagnetic spectrum requirements, which increases the risk project developers, particularly SmallSat developers who may be unfamiliar with NASA processes, will not incorporate electromagnetic spectrum requirements into their development plans in a timely manner. This in turn increases the risk a project will have to make costly design changes or miss a planned launch date. Indeed, NASA’s experience with the Space Launch System – which is relying on waivers to meet the radio spectrum needs for its first two launches – illustrates the need for timely consideration of electromagnetic spectrum requirements.
