OneWeb and SpaceX, the powerhouses of the internet satellite industry, had a dangerous encounter last weekend that was out of this world.
Two satellites from each firm entered orbit within 60 meters of each other on April 4, triggering several “red alerts” from the US Space Force’s 18th Space Control Squadron, The Verge reports.
The close call was due to the recent launch of OneWeb on March 30, which sent 36 satellites into orbit and had to pass through a sea of Starlinks to hit its intended orbit.
This is the first known collision avoidance event since tech companies began populating space with internet jets – and some may suggest it won’t be the last.
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OneWeb and SpaceX (pictured), the powerhouses of the Internet satellite industry, had a dangerous out-of-this-world encounter last weekend
The event was picked up by Space Force, who notified OneWeb as soon as red alerts poured in.
The US government agency determined that the probability of a collision between the two satellites was 1.3 percent, and if they hit each other, it would have sent hundreds of pieces of space junk into orbit.
Millions of debris are littered with space and can travel as fast as a fast-moving bullet, which can destroy satellites, telescopes and spacecraft – and one NASA scientist fears they could eventually cause Kessler syndrome.
This theoretical scenario was proposed in 1978 by NASA scientist Donald Kessler, who says that the density of objects in low Earth orbit could increase to a point where collisions occur that generate more space debris to the point that it is dangerous to humans to venture off the earth. planet.
Two satellites from each firm entered orbit within 60 meters of each other on April 4, triggering several “red alerts” from the US Space Force’s 18th Space Control Squadron. Pictured is a OneWeb satellite
Experts have suggested ways to limit the number of satellites in orbit, but no official limit has been set by regulators.
And there are also no safeguards for companies to ensure that their devices do not conform to another device.
When Space Force notified OneWeb of its satellite crawling towards a Starlink, the company quickly sent an email to SpaceX’s Starlink hoping to move satellites at a safe distance from each other.
SpaceX has inactivated its AI-powered collision avoidance system, allowing OneWeb to send its satellite out of the way, Chris McLaughlin, OneWeb’s head of government, told The Verge.
The close call was due to the recent launch of OneWeb (pictured) on March 30, which sent 36 satellites into orbit and had to pass through a sea of Starlinks to hit its intended orbit.
OneWeb has 146 satellites in orbit, while SpaceX has 1,378 Starlinks – and the company owned by Elon Musk has come under fire for flooding the sky.
Communications company Viasat petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in December to investigate SpaceX’s Starlink Internet satellites, claiming the constellation poses environmental hazards.
The document cites a number of grievances, including the failure rate of SpaceX satellites for devices colliding in orbit and the risk of pollution from re-entry.
OneWeb has 146 satellites orbiting Earth, while SpaceX has 1,378 Starlinks (pictured) – and the company owned by Elon Musk has come under fire for flooding the sky.
However, Musk got wind of the petition and did what most billionaires do: He took to Twitter.
Musk shared a tweet on his page saying, “Starlink” poses a threat “to Viasat’s profits, more like that.”
John Janka, Viasat’s chief officer for global government affairs and regulation, told DailyMail.com, “There have been major concerns this summer among many industry players about the satellite’s orbit, space security, and interference issues.”
“It’s not just SpaceX, these concerns are about mega-constellations in general – anyone proposing to send thousands and tens of thousands of satellites into orbit.”
Another part of Viasat’s petition states, “SpaceX’s proposed system raises significant orbital safety concerns.”
Musk’s company plans to finally put 10,000 new Starlink satellites into orbit over the next 15 years, which, according to Viasat, would densely populate Earth’s orbit.
“That’s about the number of satellites launched since the space age in the 1950s,” Janka said.
“If anyone talks about doing this with that many satellites in the next 15 years, there’s reason to raise concerns at the FCC.”