On 9 March, it was first reported that four small satellites
were operating in space without a license. Since then, reports have
been steadily emerging regarding various aspects of the events that
led up to the launching of the SpaceBees. However, these reports
emerging in public domain are yet to clarify the critical question
of how such an unauthorised space object cleared U.S. border area
and made it all the way to orbit.
What is known is that, in the month of April 2017, Swarm
Technologies of California filed for a license to launch and
operate their experimental SpaceBee satellites with the US Federal
Communications Commission (FCC). These tiny satellites measured
10cm in width and length, but only a quarter of that size in
thickness. The FCC raised concerns about this matter, worried that
the SpaceBees were too small to track and, ultimately, decided not
to grant Swarm Tech a license in December 2017. Curiously, the
SpaceBees were scheduled to fly in September
