- FAA warns of Starlink risks.
- SpaceX disputes FAA report.
- Kessler syndrome concern.
A new report from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warns that by 2035, someone could be killed or severely injured by Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites.
Officials anticipated 28,000 hazardous debris from de-orbiting satellites might survive reentry by 12 years in a 35-page report.
Musk anticipates having the greatest number of Starlinks in orbit of any company, at least 42,000, within the next few years.
The report asserts that Starlinks by SpaceX would account for over 85% of the anticipated danger to aviation and persons on the ground caused by falling debris during the specified time period.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is not taking the allegations lying down; in a letter to the FAA and Congress, the company’s chief engineer referred to the analysis as “ludicrous, unwarranted, and inaccurate.”
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CNN reports that SpaceX principal engineer David Goldstein stated the report was based on “deeply flawed analysis.”
SpaceX’s satellites decommission during atmospheric reentry and are discarded after use.
The corporation also criticised the nonprofit Aerospace Corporation for not contacting SpaceX for more data.
Furthermore, the letter reports that SpaceX has deorbited 325 Starlink satellites since February 2020 without any discernible debris.
Tuesday, The Aerospace Corporation released a statement stating that it requested SpaceX to conduct an independent assessment of the collective hazards associated with satellite re-entry in 2021, based on the projections of all planned operators subject to U.S. regulation, two years ago.
The data comprised current and forecast constellations through 2035. A significant proportion of satellites were situated in Low Earth Orbit.
The paper states that falling space debris may harm aviation travel as well as human lives.
The document states, “An aircraft downing accident, which is defined as a collision with an aircraft downing object in the Aerospace report, has a 0.0007 percent annual probability in 2035.”
In May of 2019, SpaceX deployed Starlink satellites, which carried in excess of 5,000 mass-produced objects.
The company aims to reach 2 million users by September 2023 and deploy 12,000 satellites, possibly 42,000.
Low-orbit satellite SpaceX Starlink provides the internet with unrestricted data and fast broadband speeds.
For a substantial fee, the satellites provide users with fixed-location or portable Internet options.
T-Mobile offers broadband services to its customers for a monthly fee of $50, inclusive of installation. In contrast, Starlink imposes a maximum installation cost of $2,500 and charges users an additional $250 per month.
Recent research suggests low-frequency radio signals from Elon Musk’s products are escaping into the atmosphere, hindering astronomical studies.
Additionally, scientists are apprehensive that Musk’s “space junk” might precipitate a catastrophic collision.
In 1978, NASA scientist Donald Kessler proposed the ‘Kessler syndrome’, which held that an excessive accumulation of space debris in Earth’s orbit may cause collisions and generate more debris. This would cause Earth’s orbit instability.
