Starlink satellites have been responsible for half of all orbit-related near-collisions, and this percentage is expected to rise.
Road Rage
Starlink, Elon Musk's constellation that is still growing and consists of thousands of SpaceX satellites orbiting the globe, is becoming a space threat. This is especially true for other satellite operators.
Hugh Lewis, head of University of Southampton's Astronautics Research Group, found that half of all orbital near-misses are caused by satellites. Near misses occur when two satellites or spacecraft pass within 0.6 miles of each other. Lewis said that near misses involving Starlink satellites occur 1,600 times per week, a number Lewis anticipates will increase as SpaceX continues to flood the night sky.
M.A.D.
SpaceX poses a greater threat to its own safety than any other spaceflight company, agency or organization. If you remove the near-crashes that occurred between Starlink satellites 2, the number of near-misses falls to 500 per week, which is still significantly higher than any other satellite constellation.
SpaceX is planning to launch thousands of satellites more than the 1,735 currently orbiting, so expect that number to skyrocket, Live Science reports.
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Protective Driving
Thats a problem not only for crewed missions hoping to navigate through the increasingly-cluttered sky but for anyone else planning to launch satellites. Kayhan Space cofounder Siemak Hesar compared the problem with a road accident in which the cars hurling towards the crash don't know what happened.
Hesar stated that this problem is getting out of control. The current processes are not scalable and manual. There is also not enough information sharing among parties who might be affected by a collision.
Hesar said that you want to be able to spot other actors in the area.
READ MORE: SpaceX Starlink satellites are responsible for more than half of all close encounters in orbit [Live Science]
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