Alert! NASA raises asteroid strike WARNING over SpaceX satellites

tech.hindustantimes.com:

Elon Musk’s plan to boost the SpaceX satellite fleet by 30,000 could endanger the International Space Station and hamper efforts to watch for potentially catastrophic asteroid strikes, NASA said. Crowding in the low-Earth orbits the satellites would occupy could impact ground-based systems that warn of possible collisions by interstellar objects. In addition, “the safety of the International Space Station (ISS) and all other NASA assets may be impacted” by the surge in space-based platforms, the agency said in comments filed with the Federal Communications Commission.

The FCC is vetting the plan by SpaceX for a new generation of satellites. Musk said in a Jan. 15 tweet that the company had 1,469 Starlink satellites active, with 272 moving to operational orbits.

The concern over a collision isn’t theoretical. Two SpaceX satellites had near misses with the China space station last year -- one of them within 4 kilometers (2.5 miles). In both instances, the orbiting lab made evasive maneuvers to avoid Starlink satellites. The close encounters prompted the Chinese government to criticize SpaceX in a Dec. 6 memo to a United Nations committee that oversees operations in space. 

With the planned expansion, Musk’s Starlinks may appear “in every single asteroid survey image taken for planetary defense” by ground-based telescopes, NASA said. That “could have a detrimental effect on our planet’s ability to detect and possibly redirect a potentially catastrophic impact.” 

SpaceX didn’t immediately reply to an emailed request for comment.

NASA said SpaceX should show how its satellites can automatically avoid collisions, even as other operators launch large constellations. It also called on SpaceX to work to minimize impacts to observation