"We will aggressively enforce the FCC's requirements that companies seek FCC authorization prior to deploying and operating communications satellites and earth stations," FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Rosemary Harold said in a statement. "These important obligations protect other operators against radio interference and collisions, making space a safer place to operate."

The FCC said it would continue to consider any new applications from Swarm on a case-by-case basis, and it issued Swarm a temporary license to launch additional satellites back in October. Swarm has agreed to submit pre-launch reports to the FCC for the next three years, file yearly compliance reports to the commission over the next five years and appoint a compliance officer.