SpaceX already has more than 1,000 Starlink satellites in orbit, but this is only a small fraction of the complete constellation that the company plans to implement. Although the FCC originally requested permission to launch 12,000 satellites, it could have as many as 42,000 in orbit within a few decades. Since the satellites could collide with other spacecraft in orbit – and because there are so many, the chances of an accident increasing – NASA and SpaceX signed a joint agreement (PDF) to prevent their assets from collapsing.
As TechCrunch remarks, NASA is already working with other entities launching objects into orbit using a standard collaborative assessment process that determines the risks of a close and rapid approach between objects in space. However, this agreement with SpaceX will ensure that they will actively work together in the coming years to actively prevent collisions.
NASA has agreed to provide SpaceX with information about its missions in advance, as well as not to move its assets in the event of a possible collision: it trusts that SpaceX’s Starlink satellites are the ones to evade. The company will also use the information provided by NASA to program Starlink’s automatic avoidance measures so that the satellites do not have to take evasive actions in the first place. In addition, SpaceX will have to ensure that its Starlink launches have a minimum distance of 5 kilometers above or below the highest and lowest points of the orbit of the International Space Station.
Acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk said in a statement:
“Society depends on space – based capabilities for global communications, navigation, weather forecasting and more. With commercial enterprises launching more and more satellites, it’s critical that we increase communications, exchange data and implement best practices to to ensure that we all have a safe maintenance. spatial environment. “