NASA Raises Issues Over SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's Plans of Sending 30,000 Starlink Satellites

NASA expressed their concern about the possibility that the orbit would become crowded after confirming SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's plans to send 30,00 Starlink satellites.

NASA added that the deployment of a plethora of these Starlink satellites would increase the chances of hampering the agency's scientific observations, delay space missions, and, most concerning, increase the chance of spacecraft collision.

SpaceX Starlink Satellites

SpaceX recently filed a licensing application to the Federal Communications Commission for a new generation of satellites it desires to launch, the Starlink Gen2.

In 2018, SpaceX originally received an initial license from the FCC for its 12,000 Starlink satellites. In a series of tweets on Jan 16, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stated that the company has 1,469 active Starlink satellites and another 272 satellites moving to operational orbits.

He also added in the said tweet that Laser links would activate soon.

After knowing the plans of SpaceX, NASA submitted a 7-page filing to the FCC stating the risks of the 30,000 satellite network expressing concern that this will cause congestion across Earth's orbit.

NASA is deeply concerned about the possibility of a significant increase in the frequency of conjunction events and the potential impact on NASA's science and human spaceflight missions due to the increase of satellite proposals submitted to the FCC.

The space conjunction stated refers to the satellites passing by other objects in close proximity to them.

Low Orbit Space Crafts and Satellites a

According to the report of Reuters, NASA noted there are currently 25,000 total objects tracked in-our orbit, and there are 6,100 tracked objects in the orbit that are below 600 km.

Jonathan McDowell, a Harvard-Smithsonian astrophysics professor who is a member of the American Astronomical Society's panel examining the impact of satellites on astronomy, stated that the presence of a large number of satellites in space had been a growing concern lately since it interferes with astronomical observations.

Given that the number of satellites will dramatically increase, Mcdowell believes more experience is needed to safely handle tens of thousands of satellites.

SpaceX Claims Zero Risk

Furthermore, since each spacecraft has the ability to maneuver, SpaceX's claim that there is "zero risk" of a Starlink satellite colliding with a larger object in space.

NASA called into question SpaceX's claim that there is "zero risk."

Business Insider reported that due to the presence of multiple independent constellations with tens of thousands of spacecraft and the expected increase in the number of close encounters over time, NASA concluded that the assumption of zero risk from a system-level standpoint "lacks statistical substantiation."

Aside from concerns about collisions, NASA has also expressed concerns about risks to its science missions, citing the possibility that SpaceX satellites could interfere with NASA satellites and ground-based equipment.

NASA is skeptical of the company's claim, particularly given the fact that other large satellite constellations are being planned.

As reported by SEA PC, the space agency told the FCC that "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."