Sec. 25.121  License term and renewals.

    (a) License term. Licenses for facilities governed by this part will 
be issued for a period of 10 years.
    (b) The Commission reserves the right to grant or renew station 
licenses for less than 10 years if, in its judgment, the public 
interest, convenience and necessity will be served by such action.
    (c) For earth stations, the license term will be specified in the 
instrument of authorization.
    (d) Space stations. (1) For geostationary satellite orbit 
satellites, the license term will begin at 3 a.m. EST on the date the 
licensee certifies to the Commission that the satellite has been 
successfully placed into orbit and that the operations of the satellite 
fully conform to the terms and conditions of the space station radio 
authorization.
    (2) For non-geostationary satellite orbit satellites, the license 
term will begin at 3 a.m. EST on the date that the licensee certifies to 
the Commission that its initial space station has been successfully 
placed into orbit and that the operations of that satellite fully 
conform to the terms and conditions of the space station system 
authorization. All space stations launched and brought into service 
during the ten-year license term shall operate pursuant to the system 
authorization, and the operating authority for all space stations will 
terminate upon the expiration of the system license.
    (e) Renewal of licenses. Applications for renewals of earth station 
licenses must be submitted on FCC Form 405 (Application for Renewal of 
Radio Station License in Specified Services) no earlier than 90 days, 
and no later than 30 days, before the expiration date of the license. 
Applications for space station system replacement authorization for non-
geostationary orbit satellites shall be filed no earlier than 90 days, 
and no later than 30 days, prior to the end of the seventh year of the 
existing license term.
[ 56 FR 24016 , May 28, 1991, as amended at  58 FR 68059 , Dec. 23, 1993;  59 FR 53327 , Oct. 21, 1994. Redesignated and amended at  62 FR 5928 , 5929, 
Feb. 10, 1997]

                             Earth Stations