With the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s permission, EchoStar has begun moving one of its aging satellites across the geostationary arc toward a Mexican orbital slot even without final U.S. regulatory approval of the Mexican destination — hoping U.S. authorities will reverse their previous opposition to the move in time for EchoStar to meet a July 10 Mexican regulatory deadline.

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Peter B. de Selding was the Paris Bureau Chief for SpaceNews.