NASA Worries SpaceX's Second-Gen Starlink Network Poses Orbital Hazard
SpaceX’s plan to send up 30,000 satellites for Starlink is facing resistance from NASA over concerns the orbital network will impact the space agency's missions.
NASA’s worries focus on SpaceX’s second-generation Starlink network, which the company needs to secure FCC clearance before it can launch the satellites. On Tuesday, the space agency submitted a 7-page filing to the FCC outlining the risks of the 30,000 satellite network causing congestion across Earth’s orbit.
“NASA wants to ensure that the deployment of the Starlink Gen 2 system is conducted prudently, in a manner that supports spaceflight safety and the long-term sustainability of the space environment,” the agency wrote. CNBC was first to report the news.
One of NASA’s key concerns about the 30,000 satellites is the risk they’ll collide into other objects in space. To avoid this, SpaceX has designed the satellites with an autonomous anti-collision system, which can maneuver them out of the way. However, NASA is doubtful about the company’s claim that there’s “zero risk” the satellites will ever cause an orbital collision, especially since other large satellite constellations are being planned.
“With the potential for multiple constellations with thousands and tens of thousands of spacecraft, it is not recommended to assume propulsion systems, ground detection systems, and software are 100% reliable, or that manual operations (if any) are 100% error-free,” NASA told the FCC.
Another concern involves Starlink satellites reflecting too much sunlight, which NASA says could disrupt space telescopes from observing Earth’s climate and block ground-based telescopes from detecting near-Earth asteroids.
“With the addition of ~30,000 Starlink satellites as
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